Abused
by foreverNalwaysNALEY
Summary: Haley’s POV. AU. Haley is the wife of Damien West. Nathan is a police officer who knows something is wrong when she he sees her at the hospital. Will Haley let him help her?
1. Chapter 1

**Description: Haley's POV. AU. Haley is the wife of Damien West. Nathan is a police officer who knows something is wrong when she he sees her at the hospital. Will Haley let him help her?

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As I lay on the floor once again defeated, I couldn't help but wonder how my life became like this. Every time I'm in this position I think the same things. How did I get here? What did I do to deserve this? Will I ever wake up from this nightmare? When did this become my life?

It wasn't until I sat up that I felt the blood falling down my face. It was bad this time. I knew I needed to get to the hospital. I called a cab to take me because I knew that I could never drive myself. I didn't have a good enough excuse to call Quinn. Thankfully Damien had gone back to the bar, so I didn't have to worry about him.

I was thankful that the cab driver didn't bombard me with questions this time. Sometimes they can be so nosy. It is none of their business what I look like. They need to just do their job and drive me where I need to go. I gave him an extra tip for not hassling me.

As soon as I walked in the doors of the emergency room, I was surrounded by nurses. I guess I looked worse than I thought. Not that I had actually seen what I looked like, by now I had learned not to look at myself. Mirrors are evil.

"Ma'am, are you okay? What happened? Ma'am?"

I don't know why, but I couldn't form words. It was weird. I had been fine a second ago when I paid the cabbie, but now I was completely blank. I guess I just couldn't figure out what lies to tell quick enough. That always got me in trouble. I'm a horrible liar. You'd think by now I'd be skilled at it, but no matter how many times I lie, I still suck. Maybe that's why I'm in this position. If I knew how to lie, then I'd be able to get out of these situations.

"Okay, ma'am, can you just walk back here with me?" the nurse asked. I just nodded my head and followed her. She asked me several questions as I just nodded and shook my head to answer. "You're definitely going to need stitches for this gash. You took a pretty nasty beating. Can you tell me what happened?"

I didn't answer. I just looked ahead, too embarrassed to make eye contact. What could I say? I'm a weak, pathetic woman who lets my husband beat me? I don't think so. It was much better if I just stayed silent.

"Can I have your name?"

"Haley. Haley West." That wasn't so hard.

"Haley. Can I call anyone for you?" I shook my head. I really had no one to call. "Okay, well, my name is Brooke. Let me know if I can do anything to help you. Where exactly does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

"Okay, well, let me just go get Dr. Evans. I'll be right back Haley."

And once again I was alone. I should have been used to it by now, but I don't think you can ever get used to that feeling.

It didn't take long for the doctor to get there. Definitely quicker than the other hospitals were. Maybe I should come here more often. "Mrs. West, hi, I'm Dr. Evans. What brings you here today?"

As if it wasn't obvious. He was big into pleasantries I guess. "I'm hurt," I told him.

"I can see that. What happened?"

I looked down at my body. The finger marks were evident on the bruises on my wrist, there was no way I could get away with a fall down the stairs. "I got into a fight." It was true. Kind of.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My head, my ribs, my shoulder. Everything really."

"Okay, well let's get some x-rays done." He turned to his nurse, "Ms. Davis? Can you help us out here and get some x-rays?"

"Sure thing, boss."

That was when I saw him. Nathan Scott. High school heartthrob. He looked just as gorgeous as always. I, on the other hand, looked like shit. He looked absolutely stunning in his police uniform. Who would ever have thought that hotshot Nathan Scott would become a policeman. He had spent all of high school avoiding them. But then again, who would have thought that valedictorian Haley James would be where I am.

That's when it happened. Nathan Scott looked at me. Wait a second. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I'm a married woman. It's not like he'd even know who I am anyways. He never gave me a second look in high school. Damn he looked good, which once again reminded me of how horrible I looked at the moment.

"Haley, are you ready?" I was brought out of my Nathan trance by the perky nurse. I had been in a lot of Nathan trances in high school. I thought I had gotten over that giddy crush stage when I turned 18. Crush? No! I'm married. Haley James West, you are a married woman. Quit staring at this boy. "Haley?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm ready." I got up and sat in the wheelchair she had gotten me. They took several x-rays and then sent me back to my bed. When I got there, Nathan was there. What was he doing there?

"Hello, Mrs…" he looked down at his notepad, "West. I am officer Scott and I needed to get a statement from you."

"A statement?" What was he talking about? Why did he need a statement?

"Yes. About your injuries. Those look pretty bad."

"Thanks." Is that really professional? I don't think it's proper police etiquette to tell someone they look bad.

He looked back down at his notepad, "Haley?"

"Yes?"

"Haley James?"

He did know me. "Haley James West."

"I'd recognize that sarcasm anywhere. Nathan Scott. I went to Tree Hill High with you."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I figured you didn't know who I was."

"How could I not? Miss Perfect. Not in a bad way though. In an impossible way, like, how in the world could someone be that amazing? Not, like how in the world could someone be so boring. So, you got married?"

"Yep." Did he just compliment me? Or was that a backhanded insult? What is wrong with this boy anyways, he's rambling about as much as me.

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"Damien West. You might remember him. He played basketball for Oak Lake."

"Yeah, I remember him. Y'all were the most confusing couple to me in high school. He was a complete jackass jock and you were this beautiful bookworm, it just never made sense. You know, if I knew you'd have dated a jock, I would have asked you out a long time before he ever did. So, how long have you been married?"

"Seven years." Seven very painful years, I thought to myself. Is he hitting on me? Or is he once again insulting me?

"Wow. So you got married right after we graduated, huh? I didn't realize y'all were that serious."

"Yep."

"So, what else have you been doing?"

Is he expecting us to be best friends? What the hell is going on in this guys head. I just want to get this over with and get back home before Damien. "Just getting into fights," I told him, hoping that would get him back on target.

"Right… Fighting doesn't seem like a Haley James thing to do."

"Right, because you know me so well."

"Maybe I don't know you, but I do know the signs of a fight. This was obviously one-sided. You don't have a single mark on your hands showing that you fought back. All I'm seeing are defensive wounds. Haley, I need you to be honest with me. I can't help you if you don't tell me the truth."

"Then don't help me." I didn't mean that. I want him to help me, but Damien would throw a fit if he knew I even spoke to Nathan Scott. "Can I just see the nurse?"

"Seriously? I never thought I'd see the day that you'd be asking to see Brooke Davis."

Oh God, kill me now. my eye must be swollen shut more than I thought to not recognize Queen Bitch Brooke. "Are you two still together?" I don't know why the hell I just asked him that. I don't care about them. I hate them.

"Hell no. We were toxic to each other. Every second we spent together she became more of a bitch and I became more of an ass. Thank God we figured that out before we got too deep though."

Is that another dig at my marriage? What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I taking offense to every word out of this guy's mouth?

"Knock, knock," Brooke said from outside of the curtain, "May I come in."

"Yeah," Nathan told her. As soon as she appeared Nathan began chatting again. "Brooke, why didn't you tell me that it was Haley James?"

"Haley West," I corrected him.

"You've got to be kidding me. Haley James! I didn't even recognize you."

"Could be because my face is swollen."

"That sarcasm! How did I not recognize it before?"

"That's what I said."

Great. Family bonding time. I changed my mind, screw the two hour wait, I'd take any hospital over one that these two are in. "Did you get the results?" Please, just give me pills and let me go.

"Yeah." Brooke put the x-rays up on the lamp and I just groaned. Great, let the cop see all my injuries. Have you people ever heard of patient confidentiality?

"Can you please just bandage me up, I need to get home."

"Let me go get the doctor and we'll get you going as soon as we can."

"She's sleeping with the doctor," Nathan said as soon as Brooke was out of sight.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Ow."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to make you laugh."

I looked hard at him. You've got to be kidding me. Of course he was trying to make me laugh. Why else would he rat out his friend?

"Okay, I did want to make you laugh, but I forgot it would hurt. Are you going to tell me what really happened?"

"I told you. I got into a fight."

"With who?"

"I don't know."

"With Damien?"

You know how I said I was a horrible liar? Well, you would think that right about now, I'd be screwed, right? Nope. I've figured out better ways of avoidance. You make have heard of it. it's called the 'fake cough'. It especially works when you have broken ribs. Tears come out full force. As I started to cough, I grab my ribs. Every time I do this, I think it's smart, then I remember why it's not. "Ow."

That's when it happened. He grabbed my hand. Nathan Scott grabbed my hand. Oh my gosh. Haley James. Keep it in check. No. You're not Haley James. You're Haley West. Shit. Where is Brooke?

"Mrs. West…" Thank God for the doctor. I have no idea what he said. Something about broken ribs and face. I needed to ice my face to help decrease swelling and make an appointment with the plastic surgeon in case it left a scar. No vigorous activity and take the pills as needed. Same old thing.

"Thank you, Dr. Evans. I'll be sure to do all of that." AKA I am never coming back to this hospital again.

"Can I give you a ride home?" Nathan offered.

"No, I'm good, thanks."

"It's not safe for you to drive while you're on those," he told me pointing to the pills in my hand. Duh. I know, I've been on them before.

"It's okay, I'm just going to take a cab."

"Come on, Haley, a cab? I can give you a ride home."

"You don't even know where I live."

"You're right, but you could tell me. I'm sure Damien is worried about you. He'd want you home as soon as possible."

Right. I'm sure Damien would love for me to pull up in a cop car driven by his archrival. That would play out well. I'd be back in the hospital before the night was over. "Nathan, I'm fine."

"Okay. But promise me, you'll call me if you need anything." He handed me his card and I took it, at least he thought I did. I took it and I threw it away as soon as I was outside. If Damien found Nathan's card, damn. Any situation involving that boy will be nothing but trouble.

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**Thanks for reading! I'm writing two other stories at the moment, but this came to me and I wanted to get some of it out. Please leave a review so I know if you like it and I'll keep writing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I didn't have y'all meeting Damien in the last chapter, so I wanted to go ahead and get one up where y'all could. Hope you like the other additional character this chapter.

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This time it was worse. As I laid on the floor naked, I knew there was once again nothing I could do. I needed to move though. I had to get away. Even if just for a little bit. I used every ounce of my strength to get up off the floor. I covered myself with what clothes I could find and went for a walk. It is one in the morning, it's not like anyone will see me.

After I had walked a couple of blocks, I heard a car pull up behind me. He had never followed me before, but I couldn't take the chance that he had started now. I started walking quicker until I heard the car come to a complete stop and the door open. I turned and ran as fast as I could towards the woods behind the house I was in front of. I got halfway up the driveway when I heard a man's voice screaming at me, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. All I knew was that it wasn't him. I was safe, but that didn't stop me from running. I couldn't turn back no matter what. Then I ran into a brick wall.

Well, at least it felt like a brick wall. It wasn't. It was really just a very manly chest. I looked up to see none other than Nathan Scott staring back at me. Just my luck. Maybe he didn't recognize me. I turned back around and started running back to the street, not caring who the driver of that car was at this point. Anything is better than facing him.

"Haley! Stop! Jake! Get her!" I heard him screaming.

I felt two arms grab me, "Let go of me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!" I collapsed onto the lawn in tears.

"Haley?"

I looked up at the familiar voice, "Jake?" I couldn't believe it was Jake. My Jake. Well, I guess he wasn't really my Jake anymore. He had been once. Jake Jagielski, my best friend. We grew up together and did everything together, that is until I got married. We were inseparable, but somehow through the years we lost touch.

"Haley? What happened to you? What are you doing here?"

I couldn't say anything. All I could do was look at Jake in disbelief. I had missed him so much and I didn't even realize it until I saw him again. Soon I found myself in his arms as he carried me into the house.

"Hales, are you gonna talk to me sweetie?" he asked as he laid me on the couch.

I sat up and gave him a hug. "Jake… I've missed you." I couldn't help but cry again. I had missed having my best friend.

"Hales, sweetie, please don't cry. I've missed you too, you know? What were you doing outside of Nathan's house?"

"I was going for a walk," I answered completely honestly. I hadn't known this was his house either, but since Jake said it was, I guess it was. "What were you doing outside of Nathan's house?"

"I came to see Nathan."

"You're friends with Nathan now?" I asked in disbelief. Even though they played ball together, they were never friends, at least I had never noticed that they were friends. Why all of a sudden are they hanging out?

"Worse, we're partners."

"You're gay?"

That's when he started laughing at me. I didn't get what was so funny. Since when were they gay? "No, I'm a police officer, he's my partner."

"Oh." Boy did I feel like an idiot. I looked around the room and Nathan was nowhere to be seen. "Where did he go?"

"Umm… I think he went to call someone."

"Oh."

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Haley, have you seen yourself?"

"Not lately." And that's when he did it. He stood me up and walked me over to the mirror. Damn mirrors. I couldn't even look at myself. Every time I turned my head away Jake grabbed my face and turned it back to the mirror. "Jake, quit," I finally told him when I couldn't take it any more.

"Haley, I need you to tell me what happened."

"I can't."

"Hales, what's happened to you? You used to be the strongest person I knew. You would never let anyone walk all over you like this. Why are you letting him do this to you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not letting anyone do anything to me."

"Don't play dumb with me Hales. I'm not blind. I know the only way you get bruises like that are from abuse. I just can't believe you let Damien do this to you."

"Damien hasn't done anything to me."

"Then let me take you to the hospital. We'll get a rape exam done and we'll see who attacked you."

"I wasn't raped. Why would you say that?"

"Like I said, I'm not stupid. I find you in the middle of the street at one in the morning in nothing but a t-shirt. Your wrists and thighs are covered in bruises. Are you trying to tell me that you generally roam the streets half naked and bruised?"

I couldn't take it any longer, I had to get out of there. I couldn't stand Jake's judgment anymore. I missed him, but I definitely didn't miss that part of him. I got up and started to the door, but as soon as I opened it I ran into Dr. Evans.

"Clay, thanks for coming," I heard Nathan say from behind me.

I tried to push my way past him, but he pulled me back inside with him. "I take it she's the reason you called?"

"Yep."

I couldn't stand this, "I just want to go home." I started to cry again. When did I become such a baby? I never cry this much. I guess when you're around your best friend, it's hard to hide your real feelings.

"Hales, you can't go home. It's not safe there," Jake said as he came into the foyer.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Haley, why don't you just let Clay check you out before you go home?" Nathan said.

"I'm sorry you wasted your time Dr. Evans. I need to get back home to my husband though."

"Hales. I love you and I cannot let you go back into that house knowing what he does to you."

"You don't know anything Jake. Thank you for caring, but keeping me here will do nothing but hurt me. You know how Damien feels about him."

Sure, it had been years, but some grudges last forever. I never knew what happened between them, but there was definitely something. Damien and Nathan hated each other. I guess I'll never know why. Damien never told me and I had never been friends with Nathan, so I couldn't ask him.

"Really? That guy still holds a grudge?" Nathan asked me.

"Like you don't."

A smug smile appeared on Nathan's face and I just wanted to smack it off. That must be why Damien hates him. That damn smile. It's annoying as hell. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing, really. Just the fact that he still holds a grudge proves that I was right."

"Right about what?"

"You should ask him."

"Right. That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to march right in my house and say, 'Hey Damien, I know this is totally random, but why do you hate Nathan Scott?' 'Why do you ask honey?' 'Oh, no reason. It's not like I keep seeing him around town or anything and he told me to ask you. It was just a random thought'… I think that would go swimmingly." And yes, in my fake conversation, I performed Damien's voice perfectly.

Rolling my eyes, I started back for the door. I wanted out of there and I wanted out now. Before I could get out Jake grabbed my wrist. "Damn it, Jake! Let go."

"No. Hales, I am not going to sit by and watch you get hurt."

Looking at my painfully blue wrist he is holding I tell him, "You are hurting me."

He followed my gaze and immediately let go of my arm.

"Thank you." I gave him one last hug before I left to return to my own personal hell.

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I walked back into my house to see total chaos. Thankfully, Damien hasn't come home yet, so I have time to clean up. There was broken glass all over the floor of the kitchen and there was blood around the shattered pieces. Looking down at my own feet, I saw they were dry and uncut. I looked around for the culprit, but couldn't find him. It wasn't until I heard him whining in the corner that I found him.

Charlie, my big lovable lab. I grabbed the tweezers and ran to him. As I suspected, I found glass in his paws. He didn't deserve this. He had done nothing wrong. He looked so pitiful as he stared back at me. I picked the glass from his paws and tears once again stained my face as I heard him cry with every touch.

As soon as he had been attended to, I went straight to cleaning. I heard the keys in the door as I was sweeping the last bits of glass off of the floor. I heard Charlie scamper away at the sound. He was smart and knew when to avoid his master. His footsteps were very shuffled. I could tell from the mere sound that he had been drinking.

I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he leaned down and held the dustpan for me. "I'm sorry," he told me as he took the pieces to the trash can.

"Damien…" Damn these tears. They won't let me speak even a full sentence. I keep telling myself it's Jake's fault. He always made me feel safe enough to cry.

Seeing my tears, Damien ran to me and pulled me in as tight as he could. "I'm so sorry baby," he told me as he kissed the top of my head. "I'm just so stressed at work right now, trying to make this deal go through. I just want to be able to provide for you. I love you so much, baby."

"I know. I love you too." And that was it. The fight was over, just as quickly as it had begun. I know he really is sorry. Work is tough on him right now and if we want to start a family, we need to be financially stable.

"Are you okay?" he asks me as he wipes the tears from my eyes.

I just nod my head. It really wasn't that bad. Just a few bruises that would hurt next week. They would be a bitch to cover up too. It was the dead of summer and it was forecasted to be over 90 degrees all week. That meant big bracelets and capris. Uncomfortable, but livable. I didn't have that many plans anyways, so I could just stay in most of the week and hope Quinn didn't make any surprise visits.

Don't get me wrong, I love my sister, but ever since she moved back in town, she is just around too much. It's getting to Damien too. He doesn't like her surprise visits much either. Which always turns out much worse for me than Quinn.

"I'm tired, baby. You wanna go to bed?" Once again, I just nod my head and follow him to the bedroom.

I climb into bed and I comfortably fit in his arms just as I have for the past seven years.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay. Some people are mad that Haley sticks up for her husband. So hopefully this chapter might help you see why. The beginning is all Damien, but I promise if you stick with it, you'll be happy. & I know I've updated this three times without updating "Comatose", but I haven't forgotten about it, just the chapters for that story are three times as long, but I've almost finished with the next chapter of that too. Hope you enjoy!

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I swear the phone had never rung as much as it had this morning. I guess the world was telling me that it was time to get up. "Hello?"

"Good morning sleeping beauty." My face broke out into a smile when I heard his voice. I couldn't let him know that though. I had to play it cool.

"If you say so."

"It is a good morning. Don't you know what today is?"

"What is today?"

"Do not tell me that you forgot what today is!"

"I don't know… Did you?"

"I could never forget the happiest day of my life. Happy anniversary baby. I love you."

"Thank you honey. You too."

"So, I have dinner reservations tonight at 6. Do you think you're up for it?"

"Of course."

"Okay, so be ready to go at 5:30. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Wow. I can't believe I've been married for eight years. Sure, some were better than others, but in the end, we had made it through. Together. It had been two months since our last fight and things were going great. Tonight was going to be great.

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It was only five o'clock and I was already ready and waiting for him to get home. We hadn't been out on a proper date in a long time. The doorbell rang and I ran to open it, praying it wouldn't be Quinn.

I opened the door to find my husband standing before me in a suit, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "Why didn't you use your key?"

"I figured I'd be old-fashioned since we're going on a real date."

He gave me a kiss and handed me the flowers. I took them and put them in a vase. "So, where are we going?" I asked him casually, hoping to hide my nerves.

"It's a surprise. I promise you'll love it though. You're ready early."

"I was excited."

"Well, you look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"How did I get so lucky as to spend ten years with you?"

"Excuse me? Ten years? You must be thinking of somebody else, because today is our eight year anniversary."

"I know, baby. Are you forgetting the two years we spent together in high school? I can still remember the day we met. Do you?"

"How could I forget?"

_Flashback_

_I can't believe Jake convinced me to come here. Of course, I'm sitting all alone. But I can handle it. I'm his best friend and it is my job to support him. After all, he went to all of my spelling bees when we were little. Poor guy._

_I know nothing about basketball, at least Jake knew the English language when he went to my spelling bees. I can't complain about the view though. Standing right in front of me was Nathan Scott. Damn, he had a nice butt. Shit, he's turning around. Did he just see me staring at his ass? That is so embarrassing. And of course his girlfriend is watching him like a hawk. _

"_Go Jake!" I screamed as he made a three, trying to cover up the fact that I'd been caught staring. I was here for my best friend, not to ogle the star player._

_Walking over to me Jake smiles. "Hales, you do know this is only warm-ups, right?" Of course I do, you idiot. Thanks for embarrassing me in front of Nathan._

"_Yeah, I was just trying to show support." I grinned and gave him two cheesy thumbs-ups. When Jake leaves, I go back to my ogling of the real life god in my presence. I see a tall boy that played for Oak Lake walk over to him. There seems to be some sort of animosity between them._

_Okay, it must be my imagination, because I could have sworn that guy just nodded at me. And then Nathan looked over too. Why is Nathan looking at me. Looking around I try to find whoever they are staring at, but I only see parents. It was definitely my imagination. Looking back over, the guy is still staring at me. Okay, there is no mistaking this, the guy is definitely undressing me with his eyes. Nathan looks back at me one more time and then takes a swing at the guy. What the hell?_

_Before I knew it, there was a full-out brawl on the court. Jake is finally able to pull the boys apart, but they are both bloodied. The refs jump in and kick both boys out of the game before it even starts. They almost canceled the game altogether. Maybe I picked the perfect game to come to._

_I go outside to get some air and possibly to run into Nathan leaving. We may have never talked, but I figured this was the perfect conversation starter._

"_You know, he has a girlfriend." I turn around to see none other than the captain cheerleader, Brooke Davis. "And that girlfriend is named me."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm talking about the looks you keep giving MY boyfriend. He doesn't even know you exist."_

"_Good to know."_

_I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see who it is._

"_Hey," the boy says smoothly. Seriously? The boy that just tried to knock out our teams star player?_

"_What do you want?"_

"_You."_

_Wow. Bold. I may not have been hit on a lot before, but this was definitely not the way I expected to be wooed. "Fat chance." I turned around and tried to walk away, but for some reason he keeps talking to me._

"_Why not?"_

"_How about the fact that I go to Tree Hill and you just tried to knock out our superstar."_

"_Nathan? Trust me, baby, he is no superstar."_

"_And how would you know that?"_

"_We went to basketball camp together. Trust me, I was doing the world a service by hitting him… What? Do you have a thing for him or something?"_

_Damn. I hope I'm not that obvious. "No. Definitely not."_

"_So then why should he affect me and you?"_

"_There is no me and you, pal."_

"_Hey, at least I'm your pal now. I'll take that. So, what do you say we get out of here and get to know each other? Maybe become more than pals."_

"_Sorry, but my best friend is playing, I have to watch him. Maybe some other time."_

"_Some other time? How about after the game then?"_

"_Actually, I was just trying to decline nicely, I didn't really mean some other time."_

"_Too bad, baby. You said it. No going back now."_

_End of Flashback_

"You were a real jackass back then."

"True. But I'm a better man now. And it's all because of you."

He gave me another kiss and my goofy smile returned. I swear by the end of the night my cheeks will be hurting from all of this smiling.

* * *

We pulled up to the restaurant and I couldn't believe my eyes. "The Waterfront? Are you serious?"

"Nothing but the best for my wife."

We were seated quickly, which definitely meant he had made these reservations in advance. He held out the seat for me and pushed my chair in. Tonight was definitely special.

After our food was served, he approached a topic that we hadn't talked about in a while. "I was thinking. It's been eight years of just us together. What do you think about trying for a baby. Making a real family."

"I think that sounds perfect." I don't know how long I had hoped to hear those words, but it seemed like an eternity. I couldn't believe tat day had actually come/ "What do you say we get out of here and start right now?"

I figured that he would jump at the opportunity, but I was wrong. Thankfully a good wrong though. "I have another surprise for you first." That's when he pulled out a velvet box.

"Damien…"

"Open it." I did as he said and opened the box to see a necklace with an eight on it. I was a little confused by the odd gift, which he could obviously tell when he started to explain it. "It's bronze. That's what they say you're supposed to get for eight years. And I'm not so cheesy as to get an eight. Then I'd have to get you a new number every year. It's an infinity sign. To show you that I my love for you goes on forever."

God, when did I become such a sap? Of course, I'm crying again. He can be so romantic. "Thank you. It's beautiful, which makes me just want to get out of here quicker. You have no idea how much of a turn-on that is babe. Which reminds me, your present is at home."

Smirking, he calls for the check and we get the hell out of there. "I'd say my evil plan worked," he said as we got to the car.

"It definitely worked, now put the pedal to the metal babe."

* * *

No joke. The clothes were off before we got into the house. I swear I have the most romantic husband in the world. I was lucky. He loved me and I loved him. I don't know how many times we made love that night, but I do know that every time it was making love. It wasn't just sex. It was more.

I laid in his arms, worn out when my phone rang.

"Don't get it."

"I have to. It could be important." He tried to grab for me as I got up, but I was too quick. He chased after me though. Luckily I got to my phone before he did, "Hello?"

"Come back to bed baby," he whispered in my ear as I tried desperately hard to listen to the caller with my other. His lips attached to my neck definitely didn't help me concentrate either.

"I've got to go baby," I told him when I hung up the phone.

"What the hell, Haley?"

"I'm sorry, I'll be back before you even know I'm gone." I gave him a quick peck before I grabbed some clothes "I promise I'll be right back."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he screamed. "It's our fucking anniversary, Haley. What can be so important that you have to leave me? After all I did for you tonight?"

He did not just say that. He seriously thinks he's entitled to something because he was sweet. That was ridiculous. "Honey, Quinn needs me right now, but I told you, I'll be right back. I promise."

I'm able to get out into the hall, but he's still yelling after me. "Your sister? Again?"

"She's my family. When she needs me, I'm going to be there."

"Well, I'm your husband, damn it! And I need you."

I turn around to face him, hoping that maybe a little sexy talk will help get me out of this. I'm not very good at it, but it doesn't kill a girl to try. "Just think about it this way baby, the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back. And just knowing that you'll be waiting for me, will make this short trip even shorter."

I try to grab his waist to pull him in for a kiss, but he doesn't let me. "Don't fucking touch me," he screams as he pushes me away.

Seconds later I was at the bottom of the stairs. I knew it wasn't on purpose… wrong place, wrong time. I couldn't help but wonder though, how did this happen? Just a few minutes ago, we were in marital bliss and now, I'm lying on the ground in pain.

"Don't bother coming back tonight," he shouted at me. I heard the door slam and somehow I felt safer.

I gathered all the strength I could and stood up. I immediately knew that my shoulder was dislocated. It hurt like a bitch. No way could I drive. I went outside and started walking, just hoping to see a car that might stop. Who was I kidding? It was two in the morning. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of his house. I rang the doorbell and prayed that he was home and that he was awake.

I waited for a few minutes and as I began to walk away, the door opened. I turned around and saw a very sleepy Nathan. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Haley? What are you…" It took even less time than I figured it would for him to notice.

"Can you take me to the hospital?"

"Get in here, I'll call Clay."

He took me to a nearby bedroom and laid me down as he called Clay. "Your shoulder looks bad. What happened Haley?"

"I fell down the stairs."

"Come on Haley. I thought we were past that. You don't need to lie to me."

"I'm not. I'm really not. Not this time."

"So why didn't Damien drive you to the hospital?"

"I didn't want to wake him up."

"But you had no problem waking me up? We've seen each other twice in the past eight years and you'd rather wake me up than wake up your own husband. I don't buy it."

"Look. We had a fight. A big fight. He's really stressed at work and I just didn't want to make him mad by waking him up when he's already on edge."

"So why me?"

"I don't know. I just sort of ended up here." I really didn't know why I was here. It wasn't far from my own house and definitely much closer than a hospital.

"Well, I'm glad you did."

"You again?" came a voice from the door.

"Watch it, Clay," Nathan warned him.

"Dude, I'm just tired of you calling me home when I'm on a date."

"Well, dude, considering you're on a date with our neighbor, I don't think it's too much of a hardship. If you really think it's that bad maybe you should have picked a different roommate. Just get over here and check her out."

"Damn girl. What's happened to you now?" Clay asked as he looked at me.

"Have you ever heard of sensitivity?"

"I fell down the stairs," I told him.

"Well, your shoulder is dislocated. You need to get it set."

"Can't you do that?" I asked, worried that he was going to send me somewhere else or make me wait longer.

"Yeah, I can. Nate, go get me all the shit I used on you last time," he told him as he sat down on the bed next to me. "Did you get into another fight or are you gonna admit it's your husband this time?"

"I told you, I fell down the stairs."

He looked at me strangely, obviously not trusting me. "Well, judging by your injuries, I'm actually inclined to believe you this time."

"Can you tell Nathan that?" I seriously wanted him off of my case about Damien.

"Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"I asked Nathan to give me a ride, but he just called you."

"How'd you end up here though? In the middle of the night? That's not exactly a normal visit to a high school crush when your married."

"Nathan was not a high school crush. My high school crush was my husband. We dated all throughout high school and got married after we graduated."

"Right. The guy Nathan beat up. I heard he's a real jerk."

"Yeah, well that's because they knew him in high school. If I went by high school Brooke, I'd tell you that your girlfriend is a bitch. But I have a feeling that she grew up. Just like Damien did."

"How do you love someone who hurts you?"

"Look, my life is none of your business. You know nothing about it."

"You're right. But I do know that this is the third time I've seen you this year and this is the only time I could actually say it was an accident. Which I highly doubt considering past experiences. My bet is that he pushed you."

"I think I got everything," Nathan said as he came in the room, unknowingly saving me.

As Clay worked on my arm, I noticed Nathan just staring at me. He had the same look that I remembered earlier that day before he got in the fight with Damien. I didn't know it then, but now I definitely knew what it was. It was a look that meant he wanted to protect me. Now that I know what it means, what am I supposed to do with it?

* * *

I laid in bed hoping to fall asleep, but I couldn't. I opened my eyes to see Nathan sitting in a chair by the bed. "What are you still doing in here?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you are okay."

"I'm fine Nathan. It was just a minor fall."

"Still. Clay said you could have a concussion."

"Thanks for calling Quinn," I told him, trying to change the subject away from me.

"Yeah, no problem. Jake went and picked her up."

"Really?" I asked maybe a bit too excited.

"Yeah. What's so great about that?"

"Nothing." I tried to act nonchalant, but I can never pull that off. "So is Jake seeing anyone these days?"

"No. Why?"

"No reason." Total lie. Once again blatantly obvious by the smile that covers my face.

"What? Are you planning on leaving Damien for him?"

"Eww. No. Eww. First of all, I love my husband, so no. Second, him and Quinn are perfect for each other."

"Really?"

"Well, maybe not perfect, but that was always my dream as a kid. That my best friend and my sister would fall in love and get married and then he would be my brother too. It's stupid, I know."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Jake seemed real eager to pick her up."

"Really?" This time I sprang up from the bed I was so excited. "Shit." Definitely forgot about that pain in my shoulder. I looked at Nathan and for some reason he was laughing at me. "What is so funny?" I asked annoyed. This guy better not be laughing at my pain is all I was thinking.

"You."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"You're just cute."

"Right. An arm sling and a concussion make a girl real cute."

"You getting all excited about them being together is cute. Plus, in high school, you were Miss Perfect and hearing you say shit for some reason seemed funny."

"Thanks. Just what I want to be known for. Being Miss Perfect."

"No, not in a bad way. I told you that. I mean there was Erika Marsh or Shelley Simon perfect and then there was Haley James perfect."

"And what exactly is the difference?"

"Well, for starters you were more beautiful than the two of them put together. You were the smartest person in the school, but you didn't rub it in people's faces. You didn't have any enemies. You didn't let everybody see it, but you were funny too. Your sarcasm was amazing, which just didn't seem characteristic of the stereotype someone would put you in. Which made it impossible to stereotype you. You were just… perfect."

"Wow." That was seriously all I could say. Where the hell did that come from?

"What?"

"We never talked in high school. How would you know any of that?"

"Because I used to watch you."

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "I highly doubt that."

"It's true."

"Sorry, Nathan, but that's impossible."

"Why do you think it's impossible?"

"It just is…" This is way too embarrassing. Whatever. It's been ten years. I can tell him the truth if he doesn't drop it…

"Well, whatever you think, it's the truth."

Here goes nothing… "It can't be true Nathan because I never once saw you looking at me."

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen. You could have just missed it."

"I couldn't miss it considering I was always drooling over you." Damn it. I was going to admit that I watched him, but drooling? That just docked me a few cool points. A few? No, definitely more than a few. Change of subject. "So do you think Jake likes Quinn?"

"I don't know. I guess you can never really tell who likes who." Talk about a double meaning.

"Guess not." I laid back down suddenly feeling tired. "Are you just going to sit there all night?"

"Clay said that I needed to check on you every few hours, so it's easier if I just stay here than having to go back and forth from my room."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Not as uncomfortable as I'm sure you are right now. Just go to sleep. I'll be okay."

"I won't be able to sleep knowing that you're uncomfortable. This is a big bed. You can fit on here too."

"I'd just feel weird sleeping with a married woman."

"Nathan. We're not having sex. We're sleeping. Have you ever had a stranger sleep beside you on an airplane? Just imagine it's like that. Just more comfortable."

"Wouldn't Damien be mad?"

"You're right. That's why I won't tell him. Now just go to sleep, please. I'm tired."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews guys. I should update "Comatose" tomorrow. This chapter could piss you off, or it could make you happy. Either way, let me know what you think!

* * *

**

"Hales. Toots. Wake up."

"Leave me alone!"

"Kid-o. Get up."

"What do you want Quinn?" I open my eyes, expecting to be in my own bed, but I am definitely not. "Where the hell am I?"

"You are in Nathan Scott's bed. I know, it's your dream come true, but we have got to go shopping."

"Quinn. I don't feel good. Do we have to go shopping?"

"Well, I think once you know the reason for the shopping, you will be dying to go."

Of course, as always, I take the bait my sister dangles in front of me. "Why are we going shopping?"

"Because I have a date."

"Yeah. You had a date last night too. Which I had to leave my husband to pick you up from if you don't remember."

"Right. About that. You didn't pick me up. What the hell? Not that I'm complaining, because if you had picked me up, then I never would have gotten my date for tonight."

I jumped up from the bed. Could it be? Oh please… "Is your date with Jake?"

"Yes!" she squealed.

"Yay! Okay. I'm ready to shop now." I jump up really fast and immediately knew it was a mistake. "Oh shit." I run to the bathroom and throw up all of last night's dinner. Let me tell you, seafood does not taste good the second time around.

"Damn Hales. That is rank."

"Love you too sis. Do you have some clothes for me?" I really hope she does. I don't feel like going back home right now. Damien told me not to come home. He had never said anything like that before. I think that hurt even more than the fall.

"Yeah. Are you okay? You never told me what happened last night."

"Damien and I had a fight." Just thinking about the fight made me throw up again. It had been such a perfect night and then it was ruined. "I fell down the stairs when I was running out the door to pick you up and before I made it to you, I ran into Nathan. So he sent Jake to get you."

"Okay, that explains your arm. But Nathan? Seriously, I haven't heard about him in years."

"Yeah, it was kind of random."

"That's not what Jake said."

"Yeah, well, Jake doesn't know what he's talking about. Can you just give me my clothes? Please?" Quinn threw my clothes in my face, which definitely didn't help my spinning head.

"Are you okay, Hales?"

"Yeah. I just think I have a migraine." Migraines are a bitch. "Quinn, are these yours or mine?" I ask her as I try to button the pants.

"They're yours. Why?"

"Because they don't fit. Are you sure?" I take off the pants so I can examine the size tag and unfortunately they are mine. Damn it. Now I'm getting fat. "Ugh. I guess I'm wearing these sweats. Do you wanna work out later? I'm feeling a little chubbs."

"No way. I am not getting all sweaty before my date with Jake. Maybe after…"

"Eww. Quit." Just the thought has me sick again.

"Did you have a lot to drink last night?"

"You know that I don't drink."

"Well what did the doctor say? You really don't look so good Hales."

"It's just a migraine."

"Right. Where does this so-called doctor work?"

"County General."

"Okay, well, we're going there now."

* * *

I'm pretty sure that Quinn was driving so fast that radar detectors wouldn't have caught our speed. We got to the hospital in record time. This is why I never call Quinn when I'm hurt. She freaks out over the smallest things. I mean, she breaks world record speeds when all I have is a migraine.

"Where is Clay? Clay Evans?" she screams as we walk through the doors. I swear I am not related to her. "I need to see Clay right now," she demands as she takes me to the nurse's station.

Before a nurse can answer Clay appears. Apparently her shrill voice distracted him from his real work. "Who are you?" he asks as he looks at the girl he has never seen before, not noticing that I am beside her.

"I'm her sister. Does she look okay to you?"

"Oh my God. Not another one."

"Another one what?"

"Another person who expects me to take care of Saint Haley before everybody else."

"I'm sorry Clay, I told her I was fine…"

* * *

I don't know how it happened, but the next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital gown. Apparently I had passed out. When I woke up, I saw my husband next to me, holding my hand. Next to him was my sister and my former best friend.

Damien was the first to speak. "How are you feeling baby? Are you okay? You really had me worried." He gave me a kiss on the forehead, obviously relieved that I was alright.

"I'm fine, honey. What did Clay say?" Crap. I just called the doctor by his first name. I'm not supposed to know him that well. This is not going to end well.

"Who?"

"The doctor."

"How do you know the doctor?"

"Just, I've been here before. He's all about making people comfortable and having them use his first name. Did he say anything?"

"No, he was waiting for you to wake up."

"Jake, can you go get him?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back."

* * *

"Haley. How are you feeling?" Clay asked when he came in.

"Okay, I guess. Do you know what happened?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to you alone though."

I looked over at Quinn and Jake and they left. Then I looked to Damien who was still holding my hand. He looked pissed. I could tell what he was thinking. He was thinking, _who the hell thinks they can tell me that I can't know what's going on with my wife?_

"He can stay," I told Clay before Damien's temper could escalate.

"He should hear this too. It has to do with him."

I looked at Clay nervously, desperately hoping that he wouldn't say anything about last night. He didn't. What he did say was much better.

"We ran some tests while you were out and they just came back. Haley, you're pregnant."

I looked over at Damien who was giving my hand the death grip. His face lit up when he heard Clay's words. If it was possible, he was even happier than me.

He looked at me with so much love in that moment. It made me forget all about last night. He engulfed me in a hug that squeezed me so hard, I swear the baby would have popped out.

"I'm having a baby. We're having a baby," I told him. He gave me a kiss so passionate it was reminiscent of the previous night.

"I love you so much, baby. To think we just talked about it last night. It was just meant to be. God, baby I love you."

"You are about eight weeks along." Clay told us, snapping us out of our own personal heaven. "Which means that you'll need to start on prenatal vitamins immediately. You'll need to set up an appointment with your OB-GYN as soon as you can. I'll give you two some time alone." Clay left and we instantly went back to our own world.

"Do you want to tell people?" I asked him.

"There is no way I can keep this a secret. I'm so excited baby. I've got to go call my mom. I'll be right back baby. This is just amazing." He gave me one more kiss and he was gone.

* * *

"I heard you were in here."

"What? Are you stalking me now?"

"Says the girl who showed up at my house at two in the morning." I just rolled my eyes, enjoying our banter. "So are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a migraine." Why did I just lie to him? I just got finished telling my husband that we were going to tell people. Maybe I just wanted to tell my family first. That had to be it. "So what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Jake told me that his date was cancelled because you were back at the hospital. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Yeah, you said that already."

"So you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for checking."

"What the hell?" Damien absolutely boomed from the doorway. "What are you doing here? Why are you talking to my wife?"

"Hey Damien, nice to see you again too."

"That didn't answer my question. What the hell are you doing in my wife's room?"

"I just saw her when I was walking by and thought I'd say hi."

"Look man, I know you had some sort of high school crush on my WIFE, but she's married now. Let it go, man. She chose me. It's about time you got over it."

"Overcompensating West? Seems like you don't seem so confident in that marriage of yours. I was just talking to her. Can she not talk to old friends?"

"You were never friends. She never wanted you man."

"You sure about that?"

Before I knew it Damien laid out Nathan. Right hook straight to the jaw. Luckily there was a chair behind Nathan that he fell into.

"Bad move man," Nathan said as he stood up.

"That's the best move I've made all day."

"I don't think so. You are under arrest for the assault of a police officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Nathan, what are you doing?" I asked in complete disbelief.

"Haley, your husband broke the law and I am arresting him for it." He turned back to Damien. "Do you understand these rights?" he repeated.

Damien still didn't speak. "Damien, just say yes. Please. For me."

"Yes," he said as Nathan escorted him out of the room leaving me alone and confused.


	5. Chapter 5

**VERY short chapter, but also very important. Leave me love or hate.

* * *

**

I was banging on his door and he wouldn't answer. I saw his car outside, I knew he was there, he was just being an ass, so as loud as I could, I screamed at him, "Nathan Scott, I hate you!"

It didn't take long for him to answer the door once my screaming started, "Haley, calm down."

"I will not calm down. You just arrested my husband! How do you expect me to calm down?"

"Well, considering you were in the hospital… again, I would think you'd be thankful. Thankful that you could finally sleep at night without worrying whether he would beat you again. I was trying to keep you safe!"

"I wasn't in the hospital because he hit me, I was in the hospital because I'm pregnant!" I shouted at him. This wasn't the way I had planned on telling him I was pregnant, but he needed to know that Damien wasn't hurting me. To be honest, I'm not sure if I was ever going to _tell_ Nathan. I think I was just going to avoid him and then he'd figure it out eventually. Either when I was fat, or holding a kid. It's not like it was any of his business anyways.

He just looked at me when I told him. It was weird. I can't even describe what it was like. After a few moments of silence he just told me, "He'll be out in the morning." Then he shut his door in my face. Was he mad? What was going on? I was pissed when I came here, but now I'm just confused. And nauseous.

* * *

I was always under the impression that morning sickness happened in the morning, but unfortunately for me, it happened at night too. I spent most of the night in the bathroom sick and all alone. Why was I alone? Because big bad Nathan Scott was trying to 'keep me safe'. What a jackass…

It was once again morning though and my baby was craving some mac n' cheese. _My baby._ I like the sound of that.

As I think about it, maybe my baby isn't craving mac n' cheese, maybe it's just me. Standing over the counter I remember what my mother told me when I was younger, "a watched pot never boils". Good thing for me I soon found a distraction when I heard the front door open.

"Damien?" I ran to the door to see a very rugged Damien. "Hi baby," I said as sweet as I could. He did not look good at all.

"Hey," he groaned.

"I was just making some mac n' cheese for me and the baby, do you want some?"

"No."

"Are you okay?"

"What do you think, Haley?"

"I'm sorry." What else am I supposed to say?

"What was he doing there anyways?"

"Who?"

"You know who. The jackass that arrested me."

"I don't know."

"It looked like you knew." He left me in the front room and went to the kitchen. He started going through all of the cabinets, I guessed looking for food.

"Do you want me to make you something?" I would do anything to calm him down at this point.

"No, dammit! I want you to tell me what the hell Nathan and Jake were doing at the hospital yesterday!"

"Jake had a date with Quinn, so she called him to cancel when she took me in and Jake wanted to make sure that I was okay."

"Don't lie to me. You haven't talked to Jake in years."

"You don't know everyone I talk to."

"What?!" He turned around to face me after slamming all of the cabinets. "Are you talking back to me?"

Oh great. What have I gotten myself into now? Taking a step back from him, I tried to recover. "No, honey, I just… I saw him when I took Charlie for a walk." That was kind of true, I was going for a walk when I saw him, I just wasn't with Charlie, but Damien didn't really need to know that.

"Where?"

"Just around the neighborhood."

"What street?"

"Are you serious? Why do you care what street I saw Jake on?"

"Because I want to know where my wife is. Is that a crime?"

"No."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, calming down a little.

"I didn't think it was important."

"You didn't think it was important?" he shouted back at me. "And you being friends with Nathan isn't important either, right?"

"I'm not friends with Nathan!"

I watched as if in slow motion Damien grabbed the boiling pot of water and threw it across the room, splashing me with the scalding hot liquid.

"What did I tell you about lying to me? I saw you two talking! Don't fucking lie to me!"

"I'm not lying," I cried, trying to control my breathing. I tried to walk away, but he stopped me, grabbing my arm.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get some burn cream," I told him plainly, showing him the blisters that had already formed on my arms that I had held up trying to block my body from the spray.

"You're fine," he told me, ignoring my pain. "I just want to know why it seemed like everyone at the hospital knew more about you than I did."

"I don't know, maybe it's because I visit the hospital so much." I blurted out without thinking.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean maybe if I didn't keep 'falling down the stairs' the people at the hospital wouldn't know me!" Okay, maybe using finger quotes took it a bit too far, but it was in no way my fault that I had seen Nathan again. The next thing I know, the now empty pot was colliding with my head and I was out.

* * *

"Haley. Haley. Open your eyes. Dammit, Haley."

I don't know who was talking to me, but I did know that I wanted to talk back, but I couldn't. I moved my mouth, but nothing came out. I felt someone grab my hand.

"Haley, if you can hear me squeeze my hand."

I did my best to squeeze his hand, but it wasn't really working either. I did move my fingers though.

"It's okay Haley. I'm here. I got your call. Is Damien still in the house? If he is, move your fingers again."

He got my call? Who got my call? I tried as hard as I could and was finally able to open my eyes and see him. I tried to say his name, but I couldn't speak. My head was ringing and once again I was unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! Here's a quick update so I don't keep y'all hanging for to long. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Taylor?" I opened my eyes to see my sister that I hadn't seen in years. "What are you doing here?"

"No, Hales, what are you doing here?"

"What?" My head was seriously hurting and I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. "Where is here?"

"Taylor, go get Mom and leave her alone." I followed the sound of the voice and saw Quinn standing only a few feet away.

"When did Tay get here?"

"About the time your head got split open." Quinn said as she walked closer to me and placed her hand on my head. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"What are you talking about Quinn?" I lifted my hand to try and relieve some of the pressure on my forehead when I noticed that my arm was bandaged. "Quinn, what the hell happened?" Looking around I noticed that I was in my childhood bedroom. "How did I get here?"

Quinn sat down on the bed next to me and began to explain. "I got a call, from Jake…" She couldn't even finish her first sentence before she started crying. "Hales, it was so bad. I went to your house and you weren't there. There was just a pool of blood... I don't understand how he could leave you there like that."

"Quinn, you're not making any sense."

"Your husband!" she screamed at me. "He left you in a pool of blood! If Nathan hadn't gone by when he did, you would be DEAD. Dead, Hales, do you understand that?"

Grabbing my head, I realized that it was wrapped in gauze. Everything was spinning and I was so confused. I didn't remember any of it. I saw my mom walk through the door and I immediately started crying. "Mommy…"

She ran to me and gave me a hug. "Sweetie… why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" I asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"About Damien, honey. Why didn't you tell us what was happening? We would have helped you."

"Momma, nothing's happening."

She grabbed a mirror that was sitting on my bed-side table and held it up for me to look in. It reminded me of why I hate mirrors so much. I looked like shit. "Don't tell me nothing happened, Hales. Don't lie to me any more."

Looking in the mirror, I finally realized that things weren't getting better. Things were getting worse, if that was even possible. I don't even remember what happened this time. All I know is that Quinn said I could have died. Looking at my reflection, I started to cry even harder. "I'm having his baby," I whispered.

"You can't have it," Taylor said as if it was the simplest thing.

"Taylor, I don't think you understand. There is a child… growing inside of me."

"Yeah, the child of an asshole."

"But it's my child too," I tried to tell her.

"Half yours, half his. If you have this baby, that gives him a foot in your life, always. You will never be able to get rid of him. Not only will he hit you, but he will hit your child. You can't do that to you or to the innocent baby."

"Ignore her," my mom told me. "How far along are you?"

"Eight weeks."

"That would be why your clothes don't fit. I guess now we need to go shopping for my date and your baby," Quinn said, remaining positive.

"You didn't go on your date?"

"No, honey, we were both too worried about you. The guys are going to be over her shortly though."

"The guys?"

"Yeah, Jake, Nate, and Clay."

"Since when do you call him Nate?"

"Since he became my favorite person in the world."

"Okay, and why is he your favorite person?"

"Because he saved my little sister and my little niece."

"Or nephew," I corrected.

* * *

Thankfully, my family left me alone to get some rest. Even though I had been sleeping a lot, I still felt tired. When I did open my eyes, I saw a very handsome man sitting next to me.

"It's so good to see your eyes again. I thought we lost you for a minute."

"What happened Nathan?"

"I'm not sure. You called me. You were fighting with Damien. You didn't actually say anything to me, I could just hear him screaming in the background and I knew you needed help. When I got to your house, he was gone, but you were lying on the floor. You had burns all over your arms and neck and you were bleeding from your head. There was a pot next to you, which is where I figured the burns came from and what happened to your head."

"Did you find him?"

"Not yet. There's an APB out on him. That's why we brought you here after Clay said it was okay to move you. We didn't want him finding you at the hospital."

"Thanks. I don't know why you're being so nice to me, but thanks."

"I do it because I like you."

"Is he professing his love already?" Clay joked as he came in the room.

"No, you interrupted before he got that far. So, what's the deal, doc?"

"Well, you were lucky. Really lucky. You have a basilar skull fracture. You're lucky you didn't need surgery. Otherwise you could have lost your baby. From what your sister has said, it seems you have a little bit of retrograde amnesia for the event, which is nothing to worry about. You might remember it sometime or you might not. You're gonna be okay though. You just need to take it easy and stay the hell away from that husband of yours."

"Thanks Clay."

"I'll let you get back to… whatever."

When Clay left I looked back to Nathan. Thinking about it, I felt a bit weird. He was sitting on my bed next to me. Nathan Scott was in my bed. I had plenty of dreams with him in my bed during high school, but now that he was finally there, it seemed different. Especially after what Clay had said when he came in the room. "So… professing your love for me?

"He's kidding." That stung a little. Okay, yes, I'm married, but I'll admit, the thought of Nathan Scott pining over me felt good. I could never do anything about it, but that didn't mean I couldn't want it to be true. Then out of the blue he said, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"For you being here right now, in this bed, hiding from your husband."

"It's not your fault."

"It kind of is."

"How is it your fault?"

"I heard you fighting. It was because I went to see you. He was mad at you and it was my fault. And I'm sure arresting him was an added bonus."

"Nathan, if it hadn't been you, it would have something else that set him off. I mean, it was pretty obvious that this wasn't the first time it happened."

"How long?"

"I don't know," I lied.

"I call bullshit on that one. You don't forget something like that. You don't need to be embarrassed. Believe it or not, this happens to a lot of women."

"It started in college. Sometimes after he had a bad game, he'd come home mad. I'd get in his way. I always blamed myself back then. I knew that it was going to happen, but I was just trying to help. Make him beat himself up less, and I guess he did since he took it out on me."

"So he's been doing this to you for eight years?"

"On and off. I never even thought about leaving him though. There were more good times than bad times. He could be the perfect husband some days. And despite everything, I love him. He was the only person I ever dated, so I didn't know any better."

"That always amazed me."

"What did?"

"How you didn't go out with anyone."

"No one asked. Until Damien."

"How is that even possible?"

"You tell me. It's not like you didn't have the chance."

"It's not like you would have said yes if I did. You were too good for me."

Did Nathan Scott just say that he would have asked me out, or am I imagining it? Because to me, it sounded like he would have asked me out. Of course Jake had to ruin it for me.

"Best friend!" he shouted when he came in the room.

"I still get that title?"

"You will always have that title."

"I'm offended by that statement," Nathan said. "I thought we were tight man. I mean, we do spend hours together cramped inside a car. Do I mean nothing to you?"

"Someone's a poor loser," I joked.

"I'll let you two talk. I'll see you later, Haley."

"Bye, Nathan. Thanks." He was almost out the door before I got up the nerve to stop him, "Nathan, I would have said yes."

Damn. The second I said it, he gave me this smile that makes a girl drop her pants. Seriously, if possible, he was even more gorgeous now than back then. Oh my gosh, Haley, stop picturing him naked, you are still married. You cannot think that way.

"What was that all about?" Jake asked, snapping me out of my own rambling thoughts.

"Nothing," I tried to shrug off.

"Oh that was not nothing, my dear friend. That was definite flirting. What is going on?"

Making sure that I had a straight face that Jake would believe I told him the truth. "I promise, there is nothing. Look at me right now, I'm a mess. And no offense, but the last thing I need in my life is another guy. I've already been hurt enough."

* * *

**I know Haley had a bit of a quick turn around, but in my opinion, once your family knows something, it's a lot harder to hide from it. Also, the want to protect your baby is so strong that I think she could really do a full 360 after his last attack.**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's not written, but this starts a few days after the previous chapter.

* * *

**

I walked down from my bedroom, to see my older sister standing over a warm pot of coffee. "How are you feeling?" she asks.

"Like ass. How long are you staying here Tay?"

"I don't know. But you're not having this coffee."

"Taylor, you do not want to stand between me and this pot of coffee right now," I threatened.

"You're the one who wants to have this baby, maybe you should take care of it."

"Yeah, because coffee is this baby's biggest concern." Taking the pot and pouring myself a cup, I just glare at my overbearing sister.

"Where's Quinn?"

"Still at Jake's."

I slightly cringed. "Ya know, I always wanted them together in high school, but now, it's just kind of… an unpleasant thought."

"Right, because the image of you and Damien making a baby is what dreams are made of."

"You always were the sarcastic bitch of the family," came a familiar voice from the doorway.

I couldn't move. A voice that was once so soothing, now instilled fear in me.

"Damien, you need to leave," Taylor told him, stepping in between us.

"I just came to check on my wife."

"She's fine. No thanks to you."

"This is between me and my wife Taylor. You need to butt out."

"What do you want Damien?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"You."

"That line of yours is so played out."

"Can we please just talk?"

"I don't know, can you just talk without beating me?"

"I'm so sorry, baby," he said, closing the distance between us and holding my hands.

Taylor quickly threw him off of me though. "Don't you dare touch her."

"You wanna talk? Talk." I told him.

"Alone, please."

I forced Taylor to turn around and give me a hug, so that I could whisper something in her ear. Reluctantly, she left us alone.

"How did you find me?"

"Well, you weren't at Quinn's, so I figured you had to be here. well, either here or at Jake's. it was only a matter of time before I found you. I will always find you."

"What do you want Damien?" I asked, trying to ignore his semi-threat.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay." He once again came close to me and held my hands.

"You mean after you hit me over the head with a pot?" He squeezed my wrists tight, obviously trying to keep his anger under control, but also irritating my burns in the process. "Damien, let go of me."

"No Haley. I'll never let go of you. I love you. You're having my baby."

Tears started falling as the pain became overwhelming as he continued to squeeze me, as if he was holding on for dear life. "Damien, let go of my arms. You're hurting me."

He immediately released my arms and turned away, "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Then why do you?"

"I don't know, baby. I'm so sorry." He turned back around and got even closer to me, tucking fallen hair behind my ear. "I love you Haley James West."

"I know."

"Do you love me?"

"Damien…"

"Do you love me, Haley?"

"You know I do." As soon as the words were out of my mouth his lips were on mine.

"Come home with me, Haley. I miss you. Nothing feels right without you."

"Nothing feels right with you," I countered.

"This feels right," he said, kissing me again, "and you know it, baby."

"Damien, stop." I turned my face away from him, but that didn't stop him. He just continued to kiss down my neck .

"Come home with me. Just think about the baby. It needs two parents. Two parents who love him or her."

"Damien, I mean it. Stop." But he didn't. He just continued the kissing and the grabbing until finally he was pulled off of me.

"Back off man," he shouted as he was turned around. "This is between me and my wife."

"Not anymore Damien. Step away from Haley," Nathan demanded.

Grabbing me and placing me between him and Nathan, Damien blew up. "I thought you said you weren't friends with him," he whispered in my ear. At least he thought he whispered, it came out more as a yell to me.

Keeping my eyes on Nathan, hoping he could help me, I slowly tried to give a logical explanation. "Damien, honey, considering what happened last time I saw you, I'm sure Taylor called the cops…"

"Or you told her to call the cops," he interrupted, guessing correctly.

"Nathan is a cop. Just because he is the one who responded, does not mean that we are friends. Tell him, Nathan." Tears started falling down my face as I felt Damien's hand tighten on me once again.

"Dammit Damien!" Nathan screamed. "Just look at her, you're making her cry. You're hurting her, just let her go."

"She's MY wife. And she's having MY child."

"I know man, you won."

"Damn right. I won!" Damien screamed back.

"What do you mean, you won?" I asked turning around to face him.

"It's nothing, baby. Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean, you won?" I repeated with more force this time. When Damien didn't answer, I turned back to look at Nathan for answers and saw a very smug look on his face. "No. Nathan Scott. You better wipe that look off your face and explain to me right now what the hell you two are talking about."

"Let me tell you babe, every second you are just doing so much better at convincing me you aren't friends with Nathan Scott," Damien said annoyed that I was talking to Nathan and not him.

"Will you shut up?" I screamed at Damien.

For a moment he looked shocked, but only for a moment. Then he looked pissed. It wasn't long before his hand hit my face, sending me to the ground. Jake, who I hadn't even seen enter the room, was immediately on top of him and had him in cuffs as Nathan ran to my side.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he held my hand. I watched as Jake took my husband out of my parents' house.

"You just saw that… what do you think?"

Just as Damien had done minutes before, Nathan placed my hair behind my ear. "I'm so sorry, Haley." He then leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Physically, are you okay?"

"I think so," I told him, before I slightly cringed.

"That doesn't seem okay," he said with a worried look.

"I'm fine. I've just been having a pain in my side the past few days. I'm sure it's nothing. Just like a cramp or something. Actually, my head is hurting a little," I told him as I felt a headache quickly coming on.

"Do you want me to call Clay?"

I shook my head no, feeling as if talking took too much energy. "Hospital," I was able to whisper as tears of fear started falling from my eyes. He quickly scooped me up as he screamed for Taylor to drive us to the hospital since Jake had taken Damien down to the station already in his car

* * *

Nathan laid me in the backseat of the car as Taylor drove. Nathan was sitting on the center console so he could talk to me. He looked very awkward sitting there with his head pressed against the ceiling. If I hadn't felt so sick, I probably would have laughed.

My eyes started to drift closed and Nathan's voice just became louder. "Stay with me okay? Let me see those gorgeous eyes of yours." As I heard his sweet words, I opened my eyes. "There they are." He then brushed the hair out of my face. "Hales, you're burning up." He quickly grabbed a map that was still sitting in Taylor's front seat from her drive home and started fanning me. "Keep those eyes open, Hales."

Hales. Sure, I may feel like I'm dying right now, but I didn't fail to notice that he called me Hales. it sounded good, but I didn't have much time to think about it. "Can't feel… hands…or feet," was all I could say as I tried to listen to him and keep my eyes open. But I couldn't. "I'm tired, Nathan," I told him as I began losing feeling in my face. I closed my eyes and almost instantly, I was asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

This seemed to become a routine as I woke up to see Nathan and Clay talking in the corner of a hospital room. Clay was calm and collected as always, but Nathan looked distraught. He was no longer in his uniform and he looked like he was in desperate need of a shower.

They hadn't noticed that I was awake yet, so I decided to speak, "Hey."

Nathan immediately rushed to my side looking immensely worried.

"What happened?" I asked Clay.

"You had a panic attack brought on by excessive stress."

"That's it?"

"I'm sorry, Haley," he began.

"What are you sorry about? I mean, a panic attack is nothing."

"A panic attack is nothing, but the pain you've been feeling in your side was something. "

"What are you saying Clay?"

"I'm sorry Haley, but we did an ultrasound and we couldn't find a heartbeat."

"Do another one," I demanded.

"Haley…"

"Do another one."

"Okay, but I must warn you, the results won't be any different."

"Clay, will you just listen to her?" Nathan said.

"I'll send a nurse in."

* * *

"Hey sweetie," Brooke said as she entered my room.

"Hey Brooke. I'm sorry for making you do this again," I was having the hardest time not crying.

"I'll be out in the hall if you need me," Nathan said getting up from beside my bed to leave the room.

"Nathan?"

"Yeah?" Thank God he turned back around.

"Can you stay with me?" I really didn't want to be alone. Sure, Brooke was there, but I didn't really know Brooke. And what I did know about her, wasn't good. Of course she isn't the same person that I knew anyways, so I just felt all alone. I needed someone there who knew what was going on. Someone who would hold my hand. I knew the results wouldn't be good, but I just had to see it for myself.

"Of course, I will," he said. He walked right back over next to me and held my hand, providing me more comfort than he could ever imagine.

Brooke lifted my shirt and I watched as she pulled the ultrasound machine into my view. She put the jelly on the tip of the metal nub and placed it on my stomach. They always tell you that it's going to be a 'little bit' cold… that's a lie. It's like ice.

I desperately searched the screen for any movement, but there wasn't any. Just like Clay said, my baby had no heartbeat. When I finally gave up all hope, I couldn't help the flood gates that opened in my eyes. I felt like I would cry forever, I felt so empty. Except I wasn't.

"I'm sorry Haley. We're going to need to do a D&C."

"What is that?"

"It's a fairly minor surgical procedure. It takes about twenty minutes to perform. I'll have someone come in and give you an anesthetic. Then someone will come in to do the procedure in which they will dilate your cervix and scrape the inside to remove the remaining tissue," Brooke explained before leaving to go get another doctor.

If what Brooke just said confused you as much as it confused me, let me tell you what's going on. They are giving me an abortion. One that I don't want, but there's no way out of it. I am forced to sit here, spread my legs, and have my dead baby sucked out of me. The thought alone makes me want to vomit.

Even with everything going on, I wish Damien was here with me. He's my husband. He was the father of the baby. _Was._ I officially hate the past tense.

I felt someone wiping my tears away and it snapped me out of my state of self-pity. I looked and saw Nathan staring at me. "I have to tell Damien," I told him. "He needs to know." Nathan just nodded back at me.

I just stared at him for a minute, unsure of what to do next. "I'm scared," I whispered as even more tears fell.

He continued to try to wipe away all of my tears, but they were falling so fast, there was no way to stop them. "What are you scared of?" he asked me.

"I don't know." I told him. Not sure if that was true. I thought about it for another second before I finally confessed, "Everything."

He placed a kiss on my forehead and I savored the feeling of having someone who cared. Someone who wasn't trying to hurt me. "It's gonna be okay, Haley," he reassured me.

"How am I supposed to tell him?" I wondered aloud.

"I can tell him for you."

"That would be a catastrophic mistake."

"I can find someone who will do it. You don't need to be worrying about him, Haley. You need to take care of yourself."

Take care of myself? How am I supposed to do that? I've never been alone before. "I don't know how," I told him honestly.

"What do you mean you don't know how?"

"I don't know how. I've never been alone before. I went from living with my parents to living with Damien. I haven't worked a day since high school. He's always done everything. I don't know how I'm supposed to live without him."

"You can do it, Haley. I know you can."

"I thought I could. I thought that I could because I knew that I would always have a part of him with me. I thought that I would have the best part of him. I would have a child. And now I don't even have that. Now I have nothing."

"That's not true. You have your family."

"Yeah, my family who is judging every single move I make. They're freaking out because I never told them what was happening, but really, what did they expect me to say? They're treating me like I'm a child. And they just act like I'm about to break."

"Haley…"

"What?"

"Don't yell at me, okay?"

"Why would I yell at you, Nathan?"

"Because I'm about to tell you the truth."

"What's the truth?" I asked, confused at this new line of questioning.

"The truth is that you are breaking. You said your family is treating you like you're about to break, well, Hales, look at yourself. Whether you want to admit it or not, you're broken."

I stopped crying long enough to punch him. He feigned hurt, which made me smile. "I didn't yell at you," I told him.

"Right. Next time I'll have to say don't hit me."

"Next time?"

"Yeah. You didn't think this was the end of me, did you?"

"Well, you arrested Damien. I mean, you did your job. There's really no reason for us to see each other anymore."

"Sorry, Hales, but there is no way that I am going to let you slip out of my life again."

"Again? I was never in your life before."

"Maybe so, but we're gonna change things this time around."

A new nurse came in to take me to another room for the procedure. "Will you be here when I get back?" I asked him, desperately hoping he would.

"I'm not going anywhere."


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, I hope you guys like this chapter as much as I do. Leave me some love and let me know what you think!

* * *

**

When I returned from the procedure room, just as promised, Nathan was waiting for me. I was still really groggy and not very coherent when I got there.

"How you feeling?" he asked once I was situated back in my bed.

"Empty," I told him honestly.

"It'll be okay, Hales. This was just God's way of telling you that it's not the right time. You'll have kids. One day, when you're ready and you have someone who will love you and treat you right."

"Thanks Nathan. Thanks for being here for me. You've done so much for me."

"Anytime, Hales. Really, anytime you need anything. You can always call me.."

"Thanks." It was weird. Hearing Nathan say those words. I hadn't had someone say that to me in a long, long time. I hadn't had a friend in a long time. It was always just me and Damien. That was the way he wanted it, I guess.

"Hales, sweetie, are you okay?" Quinn asked as she rushed to my side.

"Taylor just now called me. I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you."

"It's okay, Nathan was here."

"Thank you, Nathan," Quinn said, just reiterating my thanks. "I think you need to come home with me tonight, Hales."

"Why? What's wrong with Mom and Dad's?"

"Well, Damien used his right to a speedy trial and is already out on bail. He's not allowed within 500 yards of you, but I highly doubt he'll listen. He already knows that you were staying there, so he'll probably look for you there."

I swear my heart stopped when Quinn said he was out. I was finally feeling safe. His words kept repeating in my head, _I will always find you_. He said he had checked at Quinn's and at Jake's. How did he even know where Jake lives?

"I can't stay at your place Quinn."

"What? Why not?"

"Because he checked there. Before, when he found me at home, he said he had already checked your place."

"Then we can stay at Jake's."

"He said he was going to check there too. He said if I wasn't at home or at your place, that I'd be at Jake's. He's gonna find me. No matter where I go." I broke down in tears. There was no way out. No matter how hard I try, I can't get away from him.

"You can stay with me," Nathan offered.

"I can't. You've already done way too much. I can stay at a hotel."

"Like hell you will. You're staying with me and that's final."

"There's no arguing with him, Haley. He's stubborn as a bull," Clay said as he came in to check on me.

"It's one of my best qualities. So can we get out of here doctor?"

"Not just yet, we need to make sure that Haley is 100% before we get her out of here. Don't worry, you won't have to wait too much longer before you can go home though. Thanks for checking with me first before you invited company, Nate."

"No problem," Nathan sent Clay his signature smirk before he left the room.

"Will you take care of Charlie?" I asked Quinn hopefully.

"Of course. Do you need me to get anything else from the house?"

"No," Nathan answered for me. "All of you need to stay away from that house. Damien is volatile right now. There is no telling what he'll do to anyone. He's going to be pissed as hell and I'm sure he will follow you until he finds her. If you need something, Jake can get it."

"You can't?" Quinn asked.

"If I saw that guy, I would kill him. So no, I can't go there."

* * *

Nathan opened the front door of his house to me. I hadn't actually noticed before how big it was, but it was definitely a good size. He carried my bags inside as he asked, "Up or downstairs?"

"I really get the choice?"

"Yeah, we've got plenty of room."

"How does a cop afford a house this big?" I wondered aloud.

"It helps that I share it with a doctor, but when my dad had his heart attack, I inherited everything. I sold his dealership and made bank."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm not. He was an ass. He controlled me far too much and I always worried that when I had kids, he'd do the same thing to them, just like my Grandpa did to me."

"So why share a house at all?" I asked, trying to get off of such a touchy subject.

"I don't like being alone."

"I know how you feel," I said, thinking of how soon I would be all alone.

"So, up or down?"

"Up," I said.

I followed him upstairs to the guest room that I would be staying in and he placed my bags beside the king size bed. I crawled onto the bed myself and laid flat out on my back.

"You like?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"I think it's made for more than one person," I said as I scooted over and patted on the other side of the bed. He quickly obliged and laid out on the bed identical to me. Staying on my back, I turned my head to look at him. "Thanks so much, for everything."

Nathan turned to lay on his side facing me. I followed the movements of his hand as it came towards me to place hair behind my air. I don't know why, but for some reason, I had to remind myself to breath. "Hales, you have to quit thanking me so much. I swear that's all you've done today."

"I just want you to know how much this means to me, Nathan. I hate imposing on you. I'm just so sorry for pushing all of this on you. It's not part of your job." Suddenly feeling really frustrated, I sat up in the bed and turned my back to him, hoping to hide the tears that had started to fall.

He quickly scrambled next to me and wrapped his arms around me, with his hands resting on my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder as he whispered to me. "You have nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault. It's all his. And so what if it's not my job? I'm making it my job. I _want_ to help you. You just have to let me."

I turned my face to his so that we were mere centimeters apart. "Okay," I whispered back. "Thank you," I said again unintentionally.

"What did I just say about that?" he asked jokingly.

"How about you say you're welcome and I'll quit saying thank you?"

"You're welcome," he said before grabbing my face with both of his hands. He pulled my head down and pressed a kiss to my forehead, which I couldn't help but lean into as I closed my eyes to savor the moment. He let go of my face and put his chin back on my shoulder, looking into my eyes. His stare was so intense, I had to close my eyes as I rested my forehead against his. I wanted to thank him again, but I stopped myself. "You hungry?" he asked me.

I opened my eyes to look at him again and just muttered an "uh-huh".

He pulled his head back and unwrapped his arms from around me, leaving one hand on the small of my back as he rubbed it comfortingly. "Pizza?" he asked and I just nodded.

He left the room to make the call and I just laid back down staring at the ceiling. I laid there thinking _what the hell was happening to me_?


	10. Chapter 10

The doorbell rang and I ran downstairs, hoping to answer it and pay for the pizza before Nathan could. Unfortunately, he had already paid over the phone with his credit card. Bastard.

"Pizza's here," I shouted as I wandered around until I found the kitchen.

"Awesome. I got cheese. We have all the toppings you could imagine, so you can add whatever you want."

"Cheese is fine by me."

"Not for me though." I watched as Nathan disappeared behind the fridge and returned with his hands full of different meats.

"Is there a deli in there?"

"Just about. I need the works for my pizza. Ham, bacon, pepperoni, sausage…"

"That's gross," I said cutting him off.

"Why is that gross?"

"I don't know. It just is. Like, how many different animals are you eating in each bite?"

"Are you a vegetarian or something?"

"Oh hell no. I love eating meat just as much as any other girl, but I don't like to mix species."

Then he laughed. Oh boy did he laugh. And with that laugh came that gorgeous smile. Damn that smile. "Do you want a drink?" he asked.

"What do you have?"

"Alcohol, Coke, juice, Gatorade, water, coffee…"

"Do you have Dr. Pepper?"

"Of course." He went into a second fridge and pulled out a Dr. Pepper, throwing the can at me. I stuck my hand out to try and catch it, but completely missed it. It hit the side of the counter causing it to puncture. The can hit the ground and started spinning in circles as the drink sprayed around like a sprinkler.

I tried to jump away from it, but the can kept spinning and squirting and I was absolutely soaked… along with Nathan's kitchen. He ran across the room and grabbed the can as it slowed down and threw it outside.

"Sorry," I said, trying to hide my smile.

"You're soaked," he laughed as he stood there staring at me. "Wait right there," he told me before he left the room. He came right back with a few towels, throwing one at me while he used the others to clean up.

"Thanks."

"I forgot how clumsy you were," he laughed.

"Yeah. My mom always promised me that I'd grow out of it. She lied."

We both laughed. That seemed to be something I'd been doing more since I'd been around Nathan. Somehow he could get me to forget all of this crap that was going on and I could just be me. A me that I hadn't been in a long time.

"It's cute."

"What's cute?"

"You. Being all clumsy. It's cute."

I'm sure my face turned beet red. Nathan Scott calling me cute. That was not something that happened everyday. It's funny how at times I still think of him as Nathan Scott, star basketball player, most popular boy in school. Then at times I think of him as Nathan Scott, friend and savior. Every time he makes me blush I think of the high school him. He just makes me feel like I'm just nerdy Haley back in high school again.

I couldn't help but wonder… "How did you know I'm a total klutz."

"I told you. I used to watch you. I seriously thought I was going to die of laughter when I saw you and Jake playing ball one day. You were horrible."

It was official, I am now even redder than before. "That's not very nice. And you shouldn't watch unsuspecting people."

"Hey, you said you used to watch me. I think that's a bit of a double standard."

"There is a difference. You were a big shot. You knew that every girl in school was watching you."

"Not you."

"Well, I was. Do you mind if I take a shower? I'm all sticky," I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Sure. There's one off of your bedroom."

"Thanks." I really do say that a lot.

* * *

"You killed my baby!" he screamed, waking me up. I sat up to see Damien standing over me. "You killed my baby, you bitch." His hands were around my neck and I couldn't breath as he threw me back onto the bed. His hands just kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter. Until I woke up, completely out of breath with tears falling down my face.

I got out of bed and walked down the hall to Nathan's room. I lightly knocked on the door and whispered his name, "Nathan?"

He slowly sat up, wiping his eyes. He looked at me and quickly got out of his bed. "Are you okay?"

"I had a nightmare," I told him through tears.

"It's okay, Hales. Come in," he took my hand and walked me over to his bed. "Get under the covers. You have chill bumps." I listened to him, pulling his covers over me as I sat with my knees tucked into chest and my back leaning against the headboard. "Come here," he said as he put his arm around me and pulled me close. "What happened, Hales?"

"I just… had a bad dream."

"Damien?"

I nodded my head. "He said I killed his baby." Just saying the words made me cry harder and I pressed my face deeper into his chest as he held me.

"Haley, you did not kill your baby. It was not your fault."

"He's going to be so mad."

"That is not your problem. Look at me." He lifted my chin so that he could look me in the eyes, "You do not need to worry about him. Let me and Jake do that, okay?"

I just nodded my head before tucking it back down as he kissed my forehead. "Do you want to stay in here tonight?" he asked as if he could read my mind. I nodded my head again and he lifted the sheets so that I could crawl fully under.

We both just laid on our sides staring at each other until tears started falling again. "Come here." he once again pulled me in close to him. My face rested against his bare chest and he held me. I closed my eyes, finally feeling safe.

"Thank you," I whispered before kissing his chest. I felt him flinch and worried that I had unintentionally crossed a line. He took a deep breath, playing with my hair before once again kissing my head. I then nuzzled my head deeper into him before peacefully falling asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

"Nate! Up and at 'em," Clay shouted as he opened the door to Nathan's room the next morning. We both jumped up at the sound and Clay just stared at us as if we were doing something illegal. He then turned around and left with a disgusted look.

"I'll be right back," Nathan told me as he chased after his roommate. I ran to the door to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"What the hell, Nate? What the hell do you think you're doing in there?"

"Nothing happened, man. She had a bad dream and she didn't want to be alone."

"That's bullshit."

"Dammit, Clay. It's the truth."

"It may be the truth, but it's not the whole truth. She was not in your bed simply because she had a bad dream. She was in there because you wanted her in there." Nathan didn't respond. "She's not the same girl you knew back in high school. She's jaded, man."

Jaded? Did he just call me jaded? Sure it may be true, but that doesn't mean he should say it. That doesn't mean that I'm not the same good person that I was back then.

"Don't talk about her like that," Nathan said, standing up for me.

"Fine. But you can't ignore the fact that she's married."

"To an ass."

"That doesn't make going after her right!"

"I'm not going after her."

"Yes, you are. I see it in your eyes. You like her. You can't hide that from me, I know you too well. Soon enough it'll be just as visible to her."

"She needs help, Clay. I can't not help her."

"How long are you gonna be able to hide your feelings though?"

"It's not like I haven't done it before."

"Yeah, but it's different this time."

"Why?"

"Because this time you're not afraid. This time you've had eight years to think about her. This time she needs a protector and you're there."

"Dammit. How many times do I have to tell you? It's not like that!"

"You are such a liar, Nathan!"

"Look, Clay, I'm not lying. I'm not going to say that I don't care about her. I do. And yes, I care about her a lot more than any normal domestic violence case, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it."

"You're already doing something about it. Just by having her in your bed!"

"Look, we can fight about this later, because I'm not going to quit helping her just because I have feelings for her. And there's nothing you can do to change how I feel."

"Whatever, Nate. Just remember, I warned you."

When I heard them quit talking, I ran right back into bed and pretended to still be asleep. Nathan came up next to me and lifted the hair that covered my face. "Did you hear all of that?" he asked.

I slowly opened my eyes to look at him questioningly before asking with my sleepiest-sounding voice, "Hear what?"

"Nothing," he said, thankful that I didn't know his secret. But I did. Now I just didn't know what to do with it.

* * *

Nathan made me pancakes for breakfast and damn were they good. "Damien never made me pancakes," I told him, not really thinking if it would be an awkward subject.

"Well, he's an ass."

"True. And you definitely aren't."

I saw a little smile go across his face when I said that, but I tried to ignore it. "What would he cook you?" he asked.

"Actually, he never cooked for me. I always had to have his dinner ready by the time he got home."

"And if you didn't?"

"Then it wouldn't be a good night for me," I whispered as I remembered times when his dinner hadn't been ready.

"I'm sorry, Hales."

"I don't know why you're apologizing. It's not your fault."

"I know it's not, but you didn't deserve that. You're such a kind person and I can't imagine how anyone could ever hurt you."

"I guess being a good person doesn't matter."

"Since we're already on the topic, I kind of need to talk to you about something."

"Okay," I said, worried about what he needed to talk about. Was he going to listen to Clay and quit helping me?

"Are you okay with seeing Damien in court?"

"What?" I asked confused.

"If you want him in jail and you want to be safe, you're going to have to take him to court."

"I guess I have to be okay with it. I mean, as long as he's out, I'm not safe."

"You're safe with me."

"Promise?"

"I promise… There's something else. Something that Clay said."

"What?" I asked, once again extremely worried.

"I just… did I make you uncomfortable last night?"

"What are you talking about? What did Clay say?"

"I don't want to run you off. Clay just thought that I was being inappropriate by sharing a bed with you. I'm sorry if I crossed a line."

"Nathan, you did not cross a line at all. You were perfect, just exactly what I needed. The only line that was crossed was by Clay. You didn't do anything wrong. He's wrong for judging what he thought he saw." Okay, maybe I crossed the line by blaming Clay, but I couldn't let Nathan think it bothered me.

"Good. I just wanted to make sure. Umm. We haven't officially taken your statement yet. We were only able to arrest him because we saw him hit you. They're going to need a full detailed statement for an actual trial. Did you want to go on in with me today and do that?"

Full… detailed… statement… Definitely not on the top of my list of things to do, but unfortunately, I knew I had to do it sooner or later. "This is so weird," I said, not thinking.

"What's weird?"

"I just keep thinking that this has to be someone else's life, because this can't possibly be what my life turned into. I mean, how is possible that I could still love Damien? After everything. That's just not right."

I could see Nathan's face fall when I said that, but he didn't let it completely knock him out. Just like he had told Clay, he was going to be there for me. "I don't know, Haley. You were with him for a long time. Feelings like that can't just disappear overnight."

"You're right, but how do you explain still loving my husband when I have these completely different, intense feelings for someone else?" I couldn't even look at him as I said the words. I just stared down into the pancakes that he had made me.

I could feel him staring. He said he watched me in high school, but it was never anything like how he looked at me now. I didn't even have to look up and I was melting into a puddle of goo.

I tried to bite my lip to keep from smiling, but the corners of my mouth wouldn't cooperate. They went up into a very crooked smile as I did my best to eat. "I guess I could go in today," I said in between bites.

"Alright. Be ready to leave in twenty."


	12. Chapter 12

"You ready?" Nathan asked me as we stood outside the police station.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I started walking into the building _very_ slowly. Nathan put his hand on the small of my back to encourage me. When I got inside, I noticed Jake. I picked up my pace and walked over to him, giving him a hug. I really had missed my best friend. I had missed having any friends. It felt nice to be in his arms again.

"I didn't know you were coming in today."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on it, but Nathan said that I needed to give a statement."

"Better sooner than later?" Jake said, mimicking what I would always tell him in high school.

I couldn't help but smile when I was around Jake. When I turned my head, I noticed for the first time that Nathan really did watch me when I wasn't paying attention. That just made my smile grow, until I remembered why I was there in the first place.

"Did Nathan say who you were going to talk to?" Jake asked me.

"Nope. We didn't really talk about it. I guess I'm just pushing it out of my mind for as long as I can."

"Isn't that how you got into this mess?"

Jake was my best friend, so, yeah, he could be blunt with me, but that doesn't mean that comment didn't piss me off. Trust me, if we hadn't been interrupted, I would have been in jail for battery.

"Hales, come here," Nathan ordered from his desk.

I started to laugh as I walked over to him, "You're kind of making me feel like a dog here."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to get you away from your boy over there."

"Well, you pulled me away just in time, I was about to kick his ass."

"Now that is something I'd like to see," he laughed. I could tell he was imagining it in his head, which made me laugh along with him. "So, do you have any preference who you talk to?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I sat down.

"Do you want to talk to a chick or a dude?"

"Is that the professional term?"

"Of course. I'm all about keeping it professional."

"It doesn't matter to me."

"I just want you to be comfortable. Do you want to talk to someone that you know?"

"Like you?"

"Or Jake."

"I guess. I mean, I'll have to tell y'all eventually, might as well get it over with now."

"You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to."

"Nathan, you've seen me bloody and bruised. It's not like it'd be anything new to you."

"I guess not. I'll get Jake and we can go into a room."

* * *

As I told them my story, Jake was writing everything down as Nathan just listened. Leaning over and looking at his notes I told Jake, "You see. I always told you that your girly handwriting would pay off."

"Nathan writes with true chicken-scratch, even if I didn't have 'girly handwriting' as you so kindly call it, I would still have to write everything. But enough of that, Hales. We've got to stay on topic."

"Fine, fine, what else do you need to know?"

"Has there been any infidelity on either end?"

"Not that I know of."

"Okay. So I know the last time he hit you, we were there. When was the time before that?"

"When Nathan came."

"Oh yeah, sorry, I blanked on that. Before then?"

"Two nights before when I fell down the stairs."

"Hales…" Nathan tried to interrupt, but Jake wouldn't let him. I could tell that Nathan was disappointed that I had lied to him though.

"Did the beatings always occur that often?"

"No. Before that the last time was the night I saw you again."

"So you had two months of no physical fighting?"

"Yeah."

"And in that time, you were having sex?"

"No. Why is that important?"

"Then how did you get pregnant, Hales?"

"Because we had sex that night. Really, Jake, why is my sex life important?"

"It just is. It's something a judge could ask about. A point that Damien could make saying that you were happy in your marriage if you were wanting to bring a child into it. Did you willingly have sex with him that night?"

I just stared at the wall. I didn't really know what to say. I don't really think it's possible to be raped by your husband, is it? Isn't it a wife's job to make her husband happy? I didn't know. My relationship was so messed up I didn't know what normal was.

"Hales? Did you willingly have sex with him that night?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"He's my husband, Jake."

"Why are you protecting him?" Nathan asked, angry.

"Calm down, Nate," Jake warned him. "It doesn't matter if he's your husband or not, if you said no, you said no."

"I said no," I whispered.

I could tell that Jake was about to bounce off the walls he was so angry. "When was the last time you willingly had sex with him?"

"Our anniversary."

"When was that?" How horrible is that? My best friend doesn't even know my anniversary.

"The night I fell down the stairs… He was really nice that night. We hadn't fought in two months. It was perfect… but then he hit me again. And I fell backwards down the stairs." I don't know why, but I felt like I needed to make excuses for myself. I mean, I thought things had gotten better, that's the only reason I did it. They needed to know that. "Are they going to hold that against me?"

"I don't know, Hales. It depends on what Damien's lawyer's tactics are."

"Lawyer…" Crap. I hadn't thought about lawyers. "I don't have a lawyer. I don't have any money to get a lawyer."

"If Damien has money, then you have money."

"No, I don't. He canceled all my credit cards and emptied my bank account. I have nothing."

"That's kind of an important detail. Why didn't you tell us that earlier?"

"Sorry, Jake, wasn't really thinking about that at the time," I spat back at him. The sarcasm he just hit me with was overwhelming. Was he getting mad at me? I seriously didn't need to deal with him acting like this right now. Rehashing my failed marriage is hard enough. I stood up, not wanting to be there any longer. "I'm done," I said before walking out of the room and out of the police station. I didn't know where I was going, but anywhere without thoughts of Damien was fine by me.

* * *

"Hales, wait up!"

"I'm not going to stop," I told him, turning only my head to look at him. "If you really want to talk, then you can walk with me."

Nathan continued running until he caught up with me, "You do realize that you're mad at Jake and not me, right?"

"Guilty by association," I told him, trying not to smile.

"So where are we going?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where are we walking to?"

"I don't know."

"Okay."

We continued walking in silence for a few more blocks before I stopped walking and turned to look at him, "Is there a reason you're still walking with me?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"Don't you have to work?"

"I am. I'm enforcing your restraining order."

"That's it?" I ask him, a little disappointed.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know."

"Really?"

Okay, I guess he's right. I do know I'm more than just a case to him, but I guess Damien has just forced me to live a life of doubt. Or maybe he just didn't let me realize my self-worth. I started walking again, not answering his question.

"Did you decide where we're going?" he asked me.

"I'm just walking, Nathan. I have nowhere to go. No home, no friends, no money. I have nothing. So no, I haven't decided where I'm going."

"I think we should probably go inside somewhere."

"Well, I think you should go to work."

"Come on, Hales. We live in Tree Hill. It's not exactly crime capital of the world. It's not even the crime capital of the Carolina coast." He grabbed my arm to stop me, "Damien might be looking for you, okay? You really should stay home."

"I don't have a home."

"You know what I mean. Will you please let me take you home? We can finish your statement later."

"I don't want to talk about him anymore." Just bringing up the topic again, I started to cry. I felt like I was reliving it whenever I had to give specific examples. Relive the pain that the one person who was supposed to love me the most caused me. It's definitely not a pleasant thought.

"Okay, we won't," he told me as he hugged me. "But I really need to get you home so I can stop worrying about you."

"You worry about me?" I asked him as I looked up at him.

"You know I do."

I tucked my head to hide my smile, "Okay. We can go home." Home. I just called his house my home. It was more of a home than mine ever was.


	13. Chapter 13

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you like it!**

* * *

I laid on Nathan's couch watching Roseanne reruns when I heard a knock on the door. No way was I going to answer it, because really, who would be here looking for me? I heard the knob turn and someone come in. What the hell? Why weren't his doors locked? I jumped up and hid behind the couch, peeking around the corner to see who it was.

"Jake! I hate you!" I screamed when I saw him. "You scared me to death!"

"I knocked. What else did you want me to do?"

"Speaking would have helped. It would have let me know that it was friendly Jake, not unfriendly Damien."

Jake came over and gave me a hug, "I'm sorry, Hales. I wasn't even thinking like that. I hate that he has you on edge like this. You can come stay with me if you want. You know that, right?"

"I can't Jake. I already told Quinn, he knows where you live and he said he'd find me if I was at your house."

"Okay…"

"So what are you doing here?"

Jake gave me a goofy grin, which I knew from experience meant that something good was coming. "As requested…"

Before he even spoke I jumped into his arms, knowing what he had brought me. I grabbed and kissed all over his face, "I love you Jakey!" I grabbed my things from his hands and ran straight to the huge stereo system that Nathan and Clay had in their living room. "Get over here and fix this! Please Jakey!"

"Oh my God. You are so the same person you were in high school."

"Is that supposed to be an insult? Because I'm pretty sure that I rocked in high school. I mean, maybe I wasn't as 'popular' as you," and yes, I used my air quotes, "but I had a following. Did you know that Nathan liked me?"

I made sure that Jake continued with his task as I waited for my answer, but it didn't come. "Jaaaaake? Helloooo?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you know that Nathan used to like me?"

"Used to?" Yeah, I definitely noticed that sarcasm.

"Yeah, in high school, he used to watch us!"

"I know."

"And you never told me?!?"

"Uh, no. You and high school Nate would never have worked…"

Okay, maybe he was right… I wasn't going to argue with him anyways, it was time to dance. As soon as the music started coming out of the speakers, I grabbed Jake and started dancing.

_She was a woman on a mission_

_Here to drown him and forget him_

_So I set her up again to wash him down_

_She had just about succeeded_

_When that low-down no good cheatin'_

_Good for nothin' came struttin' through the crowd_

_Ah he was layin' it on so think_

_He never missed a lick_

_Professing his never ending love_

_Oh but I never will forget_

_When she stood up and said_

_So I guess you think we're just gonna kiss and make up doncha_

_That's when she said…_

_Why don't you kiss, kiss this_

_And I don't mean on my rosy red lips_

_Me and you, we're through_

_And there's only one thing left for you to do_

_You just come on over here one last time_

_Pucker up and close your eyes_

_And kiss this goodbye_

"Let me guess, Quinn made this mix?" I asked Jake while I shook my butt at him. Yeah. I definitely missed him.

"Better… Taylor."

"I knew she was good for something."

"It's got you smiling."

"Music always has me smiling!" I screamed as the next song started.

I rolled my eyes as I heard the next song begin…

_After all you put me through_

_You'd think I despise you_

_But in the end I wanna thank you_

'_Cause you made me that much stronger_

_Well I thought I knew you_

_Thinking that you were true_

_Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff_

_Time is up, 'cause I've had enough_

_You were there by my side_

_Always down for the ride_

_But your joy ride just came down in flames_

'_Cause your greed sold me out in shame_

_After all of the stealing and cheating_

_You probably think that_

_I hole resentment for you_

_But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong_

'_Cause if it wasn't for all _

_That you tried to do_

_I wouldn't know just how capable I am to pull through_

_So I wanna say thank you_

'_Cause it_

_Makes me that much stronger_

_Makes me work a little bit harder_

_Makes me that much wiser_

_So thanks for making me a fighter_

_Made me learn a little bit faster_

_Made my skin a little bit thicker_

_Makes me that much smarter_

_So thanks for making me a fighter._

Even though I thought it was cheesy, I sang my heart out. It was a good song after all. Jake was very good at playing the bad guy too, so I had fun singing and lashing out at him.

"You sure can sing," I heard Nathan say from behind me.

I turned around stunned. Crap. When did he get there?

"You don't have to stop on account of me."

"Songs almost over anyways."

"Thank God you're here, Nate. Take over for me, she's worn me out. I'm gonna get a drink."

"I guess I'm your new dance partner…"

"That's okay, you don't have to."

"I want to," he said into silence as the song ended.

"You sure? You don't even know what song it is."

"Doesn't matter. I just want to dance with you." Nathan held his hand out for me to take and as soon as I did the music started.

I grinned when I heard the slow tune, "Leave it to my sister to have a sad song on my 'cheer up' CD."

_Oh my love_

_Help me open up my heart again_

_Tear it open let the rain fall in_

_Wash this hardness underneath my skin_

"She just knew that you'd be dancing with me…" Nathan joked. Taylor was a genius though, maybe she really did. I'd have to call her and thank her later.

_Oh my love_

_Let me hear your voice come through_

_I wanna know the love inside of you_

_Make this dark heart believe in what is true._

"Or maybe she thinks it's something you need to hear." Damn those eyes… that was all I could think when I looked up at him.

_I know that in the dark, there's a fear of letting go_

_I know that in my heart, that I fear what I don't know_

Have truer words ever been spoken?

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go_

_It's hard to trust_

_When your heart's been broken times before_

_You pull the curtains and you lock the doors_

_Swear you'll never go out anymore_

_I know that in the dark, there's a fear of letting go_

_I know that in my heart, that I fear what I don't know_

I could barely breath as I listened to the words to the song. Words so true it hurt.

"You can let go," Nathan whispered in my ear. Just what I was thinking. Can I let go? "I'll be there to catch you." Looking into his eyes, I could sense that his words were true.

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go_

He pulled me in closer as we continued to sway.

_Well I'm, stepping out_

_I can't see there is no sound_

_A seeming void becomes a solid ground_

_A sight I lost becomes a faith I've found_

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_And this feels like I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go, I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go, I'm letting go_

_I'm letting go, I'm letting go_

_Letting go, I'll let it go_

The song ended, but he didn't let go of me. We continued to sway as the next song began. I missed the first few verses as I was lost in the moment, not wanting it to end. As the new song began to sink in, I couldn't help but laugh at the choice of songs my sister had chosen for this mix…

_Come on, Come on  
Move a little closer  
Come on, Come on  
I want to hear you whisper  
Come on, Come on  
Settle down inside my love_

_Come on, come on  
Jump a little higher  
Come on, come on  
If you feel a little lighter  
Come on, come on  
We were once  
Upon a time in love_

_We're accidentally in love  
Accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love_

We picked up the pace of our dancing and Nathan was spinning me around when we heard someone clearing their throat across the room. Following the noise we say Clay and Brooke standing in the entryway.

"Want to join us?" I asked, hoping to ease the obvious tension between the boys.

"No, thanks," Clay said before walking off to the kitchen.

"We got Chinese," Brooke said, holding up the bags she had brought for dinner. She then followed Clay into the kitchen.

"I guess we should go," Nathan said, walking over to the stereo and turning it off.

* * *

Dinner was awkward, as expected. I could tell that Clay didn't want me in the house. Nathan made sure to make me feel wanted though. After dinner Clay and Brooke disappeared, so Nathan and I were able to watch TV in peace. After all that Nathan had done for me, I couldn't protest when he turned on a basketball game.

"Shit!" he shouted out of nowhere.

"What?"

"I forgot to call him back."

"Who?"

"Sheldon."

"Sheldon Williams?"

"Yeah. He called me the other day. Something about a wedding party."

"Sheldon Williams invited you to a wedding party?" This was crazy. A pro basketball player invited him somewhere and he was acting as if it was no big deal. "How do you even know him?"

"We played at Duke together."

"Oh yeah. I completely forgot that you went there. "

"How do you know who Sheldon even is? I mean, he's not really huge in the NBA."

"Damien."

"Right. Sorry. I know you don't like talking about him."

"It's okay. I'll have to get used to it when I go to court."

"You scared?"

"Definitely. But I can handle it."

"You know I'm here if you want to talk about. No judgment."

"No judging for marrying your rival? Right. What happened between you two anyways?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Obviously Nathan didn't want to talk about it, so I decided to change the subject. "You came after me today." Thinking about it, I started to smile.

"What do you mean?"

"You came after me. When I left the police station. Damien never did that."

"I'm not Damien." I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. "I had fun tonight. Dancing. I haven't just let loose in a long time."

"Me neither. It was fun. Round two?"

Nathan nodded and I walked over to the stereo hitting play…

_I was like, good gracious ass is bodacious_

Of course, I thought when I heard the first line. Taylor had taught me a dance she had performed to this a while ago. Of course I still remembered it. It was pretty much the only sexy thing I could do. It's so hard not to do a dance when you know it. Unintentionally I start doing the beginning, which just so happens to be a hip-swaying walk forward.

_Check it, got it locked at the top of the four seasons  
Penthouse, roof top, birds are feedin  
No deceivin, nothin up my sleeve and, no teasin  
I need you to get up up on the dance floor_

"I can't dance to this," Nathan said when I reached him.

"Yes, you can," I grabbed his hips and made him move from side to side as I matched his movements. "See, it's easy."

_Its gettin hot in here (so hot)  
So take off all your clothes_

Just like the dance said and Taylor taught me, I slid off my jacket and threw it across the room. Nathan had quit moving, so I once again grabbed his hips, forcing him to dance with me.

_I got secrets cant leave Cancun  
So take it off like your home alone  
You know dance in front your mirror while your on the phone  
Checkin your reflection and tellin your best friend,  
like "girl I think my butt gettin big"_

It's crazy. No matter how many times I hear the song, which was a lot when I was learning to dance, I always laugh at that part. I looked up at Nathan and he had the most intense stare. I had to break it before I did something stupid. I backed away and continued with the dance.

_Its gettin hot in here (so hot)  
So take off all your clothes_

_Its gettin hot in here (so hot)  
So take off all your clothes_

It didn't matter that I had backed away from him, because now Nathan was walking towards me. This time he put his hands on my hips and pulled me in until our bodies were touching. And that's when it happened. Nathan Scott kissed me.

* * *

**Lyrics are "Kiss This" by Aaron Tippin, "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera, "Feels Like Letting Go" by Matthew Perryman Jones, "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows, and "Hot in Here" by Nelly.**


	14. Chapter 14

Nathan's lips. My lips. Touching. Kissing. Damn.

Yeah, that was pretty much all that my head could process at the moment. Full sentences were not an option. Best. Kiss. Ever. That was until my phone rang. I reluctantly pulled away to get my phone and answered it without bothering to check the caller ID. "What?!" I shouted into the phone, frustrated.

"Now that's no way to talk to your husband, is it?" Damn it. Husband. How did one simple kiss have the ability to let me forget that?

"I'm not the one that needs to learn how to treat their spouse."

"Touché, my dear. But that is not actually the reason I am calling. I know you'll come back soon enough. I wanted to make sure that you were taking care of my baby."

If the kiss hadn't already been ruined by the mere sound of Damien's voice, it was definitely ruined now. How could I forget the state of shambles that my life was in? "There is no baby," I told Damien as I started to cry, everything coming back to me at once.

"Yes there is. I was there when the doctor told you…"

"No, there isn't Damien. The baby died. You killed it. By beating me, you killed our baby."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"I need to see you." What? Really? He didn't seem to beat up about the fact that he lost a baby. And did he really think that I would want to see him after our last encounter?

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. I'm not going to see you. Sorry, but I don't enjoy being hit by someone who is supposed to love me."

"You think I enjoy hitting you? I don't. But what am I supposed to do when you forget your place?"

"I can think of several alternatives."

"Where are you?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Come on Haley. I'm your husband."

"Not for long."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I'm filing for divorce and your ass is going in jail." I hung up the phone, not wanting to hear whatever venom I knew would spew from his lips next. I sunk down onto the couch as I began to cry uncontrollably. As I sat there, I let the words to the next song sink in…

_There's nothing where he used to lie  
My inspiration has run dry  
That's what's going on  
Nothing's right I'm torn_

_I'm all out of faith  
This is how I feel  
I'm cold and I am shamed  
Lying naked on the floor  
Illusion never changed  
Into something real  
I'm wide awake  
And I can see  
The perfect sky is torn_

_I'm all out of faith  
This is how I feel  
I'm cold and I'm ashamed  
Bound and broken on the floor  
You're a little late  
I'm already torn_

Nathan had quickly joined me on the couch as he tried to wipe my constant flow of tears. It was no use, though. They were just going to keep on falling. It's hard to believe that I had any tears left at this point. "I hate him," I screamed into Nathan's chest. He didn't say anything, he just held me close and let me cry.

* * *

"You awake?" he whispered from above me.

"Yeah."

"You stopped shaking. I was hoping you'd fallen asleep."

"You were hoping?" I asked looking up with a smile. I had finally stopped crying and I was pretty sure there was nothing left.

"Well, I figured you were either asleep or dead, so yeah, I hoped you were asleep."

"Thanks for not wanting me dead I guess."

"Hey, Nate, we're gonna go swimming, so don't go in the backyard," Brooke said as she bounded in the room.

"Whatever."

Clay followed Brooke into the room and then to the back of the house. Once again, he had a bitter look on his face, but considering the way we were situated right now, it could be understandable. I'll give you a visual. Nathan is sitting on the couch, normal as if he's just watching a show, but then there's me. My top flung across the room so that I am only in a cami and shorts. Technically, I'm not sitting in his lap, but I might as well be. My butt itself is on the couch, but my legs are in his lap and my head is dug into a very soaked shirt. He has both of his arms around me and we definitely looked like a couple. Which I'm sure drove Clay crazy. Nathan didn't let it bother him though. I figured that he would shy away from me in front of him, but he didn't. Everything about this man was surprising me.

"Their swimming, is not swimming," he told me once they left.

I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe Brooke Davis was still a little bit the same. "At least they warned you."

"Yeah, because I love knowing when two of my best friends are about to have sex."

"Is it not weird? I mean, since you used to go out with Brooke."

"Brooke and I didn't really have a real relationship."

"Riiight.." I said with obvious doubt in my voice.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just… I remember getting many warnings from Brooke Davis herself to stay the hell away from _her_ boyfriend."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Bitch…" he said out of nowhere.

"Excuse me?"

"It just hit me. She is just such a bitch. She knew… and she was just such a bitch."

"What did she know?"

"Nevermind… It doesn't matter. Jake was right."

"What are you talking about, Nathan? What was Jake right about?"

"Earlier, when he said that we wouldn't have worked in high school…"

"Wait! You are telling me that you heard Jake say that earlier?"

"Yeah…"

"So, exactly how long were you standing there watching me make a fool of myself?"

"You weren't making a fool of yourself…"

"Yes, I was. And I was having fun doing it. Because I thought it was just me and my best friend. I didn't know I had a stalker…"

"I wasn't stalking. You are in MY house… I came in with Jake. I didn't want to interrupt your fun."

I couldn't decide at the moment, what that sweet or creepy? I'll go for sweet simply because he is gorgeous. If he wasn't so hot, it would definitely be creepy. "So you weren't this nice in high school?"

"Hell no," he laughed. "I was a complete asshole."

"Right. Sounds like someone else I know."

Nathan looked at me so intense. I swear all of his looks were. "The difference is that I'm not that guy anymore." I nodded my head. It was so true. Damien was the exact same person that I met in high school, if not worse. "So how did it work? Being best friends with a boy?"

"That's totally random. But anyways, I don't know. He's just like my brother. Except I like him more than I like my real brothers. We were those kids though that parents always say will end up growing up and getting married."

"Have you ever noticed how most of those guys turn out gay…"

I started laughing when I thought about it. That was true for a couple of people that I knew. "How do you keep getting me to laugh?" I asked, not really meaning to say it out loud.

"It's not really that hard."

"That's a lie," Brooke said as she walked into the room in only a towel.

"What's a lie?"

"Nathan… he's totally hard for you right now."

Okay, I'm pretty sure that was my cue to leave. I removed my legs from Nathan's lap and got up, grabbing my phone and running up the stairs.

"Good job, Brooke," I could hear Nathan say as I closed my door.

* * *

**Song lyrics are "torn" by Natalie Imbruglia**


	15. Chapter 15

"Taylor, I hate you," I said into the phone.

"Yay! I see the mix worked!"

"What do you mean it worked?"

"I mean you and Nathan slow danced and then you dirty danced."

"Taylor! You so did not plan this!"

"I so did. Emergency meeting tomorrow?"

"Is that even a question? Both of your asses better be here by ten."

"Love you too. And I so can't wait til tomorrow."

"Bye slut." I slammed the phone shut. It may sound mean to you, but that is just the way we talk. We're all sluts or whores or hookers, sometimes if it's really bad, you might even be called a prostitute. We're sisters and we love each other, but still, we hate each other and love to lash out sometimes.

"That phone call sounded almost as bad as the one you had with Damien," Nathan said as he walked into the room.

"Nowhere near. How much did you hear?"

"I just heard you call someone a slut and then another smash of the phone. I'm surprised it's not broken by now."

"That was just my sister. Is it cool if she comes by to visit tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course. I'd feel a lot better with her coming here rather than you going there."

"Well, I kind of wanted to go to Quinn's after that to check on Charlie."

"Who's Charlie?"

"My dog."

"What kind?"

"He's a lab. Chocolate. He's been my only friend the past eight years. Other than Damien. He is just the sweetest thing. Every time Damien went out of town, he would sleep with me. Damien wasn't too much of a fan of him, but that was one thing I always stood my ground on. I miss him. I know it's so nerdy, but every time I cried or was hurt, he could always tell that something was wrong. He would come and cuddle with me, just to make sure that I was alright…" I couldn't help but ramble when I talked about Charlie. He was like my child.

"Have Quinn bring him over. Clay would probably be pissed if he stayed overnight, but if he visits while Clay's at work, he'd never know."

"Are y'all always like this?"

"No. He just…"

"Thinks I shouldn't be here?" I asked, finishing the sentence that I knew he didn't want to say.

"Yeah. But it has nothing to do with you. It's not that he doesn't like you. It's just…"

"Old feelings?"

"And new ones."

Looking at Nathan, I could tell that he wanted to kiss me again. To be honest, I did too, but I couldn't. I was still married. Had been for eight years. Nathan and I barely knew each other. So instead, I just leaned my head on his shoulder. That was safe. That way I couldn't look at that stare and he couldn't reach my lips. Although my previous plan to avoid contact had failed, I had faith in this one.

"I know you feel it too." Okay, yes, I definitely kissed him back, so that might have been a bit of an indicator that I could possibly have feelings for him. I couldn't though, so I didn't say anything. "Or maybe you don't," he said after a long silence.

"I can't, Nathan."

"You can't what?"

"I can't have feelings for you. Even if I did, I couldn't do anything about it. I'm married."

"To an ass. Besides, you're getting divorced."

I kept my head on his shoulder, still not trusting myself. "Who knows how long that will take to go through."

"I can wait. I've waited twelve years, a few more months won't kill me."

I had to look up now, "Twelve years?" What an exaggeration!

"Ever since the first time in saw you. Freshman year. I knew that I had to make you love me one day."

I couldn't even touch him at this point. I couldn't handle it. I moved to crawl underneath the covers, grabbing the spare pillow as if my life depended on it. I needed to hold something, but it just couldn't be Nathan. "I don't know if I believe in love anymore."

"How can you say that? Just because you had your heartbroken. You can't give up."

Sitting up, I raised my voice to show him how serious I was, "No, Nathan. I was not just heartbroken as you call it. I was beaten by the one person who was supposed to love me. I loved a man who hurt me. A man who nearly killed me on more than one occasion, but I was so convinced that he loved me that I just pretended it was okay. I wasn't heartbroken, love was beaten out of me. It caused me to lose a child. Actually two children. One that Damien never even knew about. But because I 'needed to be taught my place' I lost them. So please tell me, how _can_ I believe in love?" Sure I repeated myself a lot, but I was trying to get a point across.

"I'm sorry."

"Of course you are, everybody is." I laid back down in bed and just curled up, holding tight to the sheets and once again crying into the pillow. Apparently I was wrong about being out of tears.

Of course, Nathan had to be kind, even when I was bitching at him. He scooted so that he was sitting with his back against the headboard by my head. He began brushing my hair with his fingers hoping to calm me down. It worked. No words were needed, but I was comforted. I turned my body to face him, putting my head in his lap and using it as a pillow.

"Do you believe in fate?" he asked me.

"I don't know what I believe in anymore."

"Well, I believe in fate. And I know that you were brought back into my life for a reason."

I turned my head to look up at him, "Nathan, I was never in your life before." Sadly, it was true. Even if I wish I had been, the truth was I hadn't.

"Just because we weren't friends doesn't mean you weren't in my life. Freshman year we had English together. Sophomore year you were in my Latin and English classes. We also were in Driver's Ed together that year. Junior year, we took SAT prep courses together and we had English, Precal, and Art. That was definitely my favorite year. But then senior year was the first time we didn't have English together because you took all AP courses. All we had was Econ, which if you ask me, was not near enough."

"I can't believe you remember all of that."

"How could I forget? I loved every moment of it. You always sat in the front row, so it was a perfect time to learn about you. I loved how you always chewed on your pens when we took a test. It was so cute how hard you would concentrate. I didn't know anybody else who tried that hard in school."

"So why didn't you talk to me?"

"I was going to. I was trying to learn all about you so that I could figure out what you liked and I'd somehow make that be me. But I was too late. By the time I got up the nerve, I heard you were with Damien."

Damien. He seemed to be a constant barrier in my life. Maybe because he was. Everything in my life since I was 16 has been controlled by him. I guess I couldn't fully blame him for everything though. I didn't do anything to stop it. Until now. With the help of Nathan.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little as I thought about it more. "So, you couldn't ask me out in high school because I was dating Damien, but now that I'm married to him it's okay?"

Nathan laughed when he realized the irony. "Okay, maybe that is a little messed up. But it's different now. Now it's over with you and Damien. I thought you were happy with him back then. I wanted you to be happy."

"Well, I was happy then."

"I can make you happy now." I knew his words were true. I was already much happier than I had ever been with Damien and that was without any romantic entanglements. But I just couldn't do it. Not yet.

"Maybe. But for now, can you just lay with me?"

Nathan didn't say a word. He slipped off his shirt and climbed under the covers to lay with me. I scooted closer to put my head in the nook of his neck. It was better than any pillow I had ever used. And the arm that was wrapped around me, holding me tight, made me even more comfortable. It had been a long day, filled with a lot of crying, so I was worn out. Feeling safe in Nathan's arms, it was not long before I fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

"Tay… you're early."

"No, you're late sleepyhead."

Taylor jumped on the bed, effectively waking me up. She was soon followed by Quinn and a very excited Charlie.

"Charlie!" I screamed, more excited about seeing him than my sisters.

"You sure are sleeping late."

"Yeah… I don't know how I didn't wake up." I really didn't know how I hadn't woken up when Nathan had left, but I needed to leave that little detail out at the moment.

"So what's the meeting for?" Quinn asked, getting straight to the point.

"I think I might have feelings for Nathan," I confessed to them. If they weren't going to beat around the bush then neither would I.

"That's why you brought us here?" Taylor asked, seemingly annoyed.

"Yeah."

For some reason they both just started laughing at me. "Hales, we know you have feelings for Nathan. You always have."

"But I'm married! I can't have feelings for another man."

"But you're married to an ass! Plus, you're getting a divorce."

"That's exactly what Nathan said."

"You talked to him about it?"

"Yeah, because something kind of happened."

"What kind of happened?"

"He kind of kissed me."

"I am so done with the kind ofs!" Taylor screamed. "He either kissed you or he didn't. You either kissed back or you didn't. So Hales, what did you do?"

"Okay… he definitely kissed me and I..." yes, I paused for dramatic effect and to piss off Taylor a little bit more.

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I definitely kissed back."

"Was that so hard to say? I think not!"

"Shut up Tay. Look, Hales, if you kissed him back, that just proves that you have feelings for him. How can you say you're not sure?"

"Shut up right back at you. Can we get over this 'feelings' thing?" So that's where I get the finger quoting from. "Was it all you dreamed it would be?"

"Better." I laid back on the bed dreamily and my sisters could tell I was imagining it in my head again. Charlie, however, didn't get the memo as he attacked my face with kisses. Bringing me back to reality about my current situation, I sat back up. "Tay. How long did it take for your divorce to go through?"

"I did not get a divorce, Hales. I got an annulment. Dammit, why does everyone keep bringing that up?"

"Because you got drunk and married in Vegas, you hooker. How can we not bring it up every chance we get?" Quinn joked.

"No, seriously, guys. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Sleep with him." Yes. You were right guessing that it was Taylor who said that.

"I'm guessing Damien is against getting a divorce?" Quinn asked, ignoring the slut beside her.

"Yeah. He's not happy about it at all. He called me yesterday. He was pissed."

"What'd he say?"

"Just that he wanted to see me or something. I can't really remember. It was such a long day and such bad timing."

"That bitch called during Nelly didn't he?" Taylor asked.

"How the hell do you do that?" I asked as I looked baffled at my sister. I swear she has some sort of psychic powers.

"Because you have that whole, sexually frustrated look when you said it was bad timing. And I KNOW that you cannot listen to Nelly without dancing. I also know that no boy can resist touching, grabbing, groping, anything, to a hot James girl dancing. It's a fact I learned a long time ago."

"You are such a slut."

"Says the married chick kissing her high school crush." Taylor definitely got a slap to the back of the head for that one. Actually, she got two. One from me and one from Quinn. Yes, I may have kissed Nathan, but I'm not a slut. Or maybe I am. Ugh! I should never have called her. "So what was this kiss like? Was there tongue? Where were his hands? How long did it last? If Damien hadn't called, you totally would have had sex, right? I mean, that much sexual tension for that long… it's just bound to happen."

I stared at Quinn for a few minutes. "When did she become the babbler of the family?"

"Probably because she hasn't had sex since she's been in town. She's living vicariously through you."

"So are you going to answer me? Really Hales, you've been waiting a decade for this. I need more than he kissed me."

"Fine. What would you like to know?" Yeah, I know I caved pretty quick on that one, but she was never going to give it up until I told her.

"Tongue?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course that is what she would want to know. For some reason I always feel dirty talking about 'tongue-kissing.' A simple 'making out' sounds a whole lot better in my opinion. Even though I hate saying it, I can't lie to my sisters. To get real advice, you must give the real information. "A little, but not too much."

"Nice…" Great, Taylor thought it was good. That means it's bad. "Where were his hands? He was totally groping you, wasn't he?"

"No, he was not groping me. His hands were on my hips. I was teaching him to dance, so I put my hands on his hips…"

"So you initiated it!" Taylor screamed before I could even finish telling her the story,

"No! I put my hands on his hips to teach him to dance. Once he was moving on his own, I moved away. Then he came and put his hands on my hips and we kissed."

"Aww, that's sweet Hales," Quinn said. I guess that means she's on my side in this.

"Okay, last question. If Damien hadn't called, how far would you have gone?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. Damien did call so nothing happened."

"That means they would have fucked."

"Language, Tay!" I shouted, covering Charlie's ears.

They both started laughing at me. "You do know that he can't repeat it?"

"Shut up. He's an innocent dog. He does not need to hear about this. It'll scar him, like that dog in that movie Best in Show."

"That dog saw them having sex. It didn't just hear about it. Besides, I'm sure he's walked in on you and Damien before."

"No, he has not. I would always lock the door."

"Oh my God. You are psycho, you know that, right? The door didn't need to be locked since Charlie has no opposable thumbs. That means he can't even open an unlocked door."

"You don't know what he is capable of! He is a very gifted dog."

"And you're still the same nerd you were in high school."

"Which reminds me… Did you get Mr. Waffles?" I asked Quinn, who had gone by my house before Nathan had warned us not to.

"You still have Mr. Waffles? Hales, how old are you?"

"I'm saving him for when I have children one day, okay? It's not like I still sleep with him." A lot… I left out. Never when Damien was actually in town though. He probably would have ripped his head off. Poor Mr. Waffles. I hope he's safe.

"Do you realize that y'all have been here for an hour and we haven't solved anything."

"Yes we have. We have determined that you are a dork and that you in fact do have feelings for one Nathan Scott."

I'm sure you know what happens next. So obvious. As with any story, the one and only Nathan Scott appears on the scene. I had no idea how long he had been standing there, but I noticed him in the doorway with a goofy smile on his face.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were at work."

"I was. I'm on lunch and I figured I'd meet the number one man in your life." As soon as he heard his voice, Charlie started barking and ran over to Nathan, sniffing him up and down. Nathan let him sniff his hand before squatting down to pet him. "He's pretty darn cute."

"I know, right?"

"Be careful what you say around him though. Haley here is a paranoid mom. She thinks he's gonna repeat me when I talk about fucking."

This time Taylor got not only a slap to the back of her head, but also a punch to the arm. That'll definitely leave a bruise, I thought proudly. "Really, Tay?"

"You know, you're not a very nice sister. You made her cry last night."

"Really, Nathan? Is nothing sacred around here?"

"Torn. It got you, didn't it?"

"How do you do that?"

"I'll never tell…" Damn. She mimics Brittany Murphy perfectly creepy every time she says that. I swear I'll have nightmares just hearing those words.

"You still like chicken fingers?" Nathan asked me.

"Love them. How did you know that?"

"Excuse me? What did we talk about last night?"

"You watched what I ate for lunch?"

"How else was I supposed to know where to take you on a date? Anyways, I picked some up for you from Karen's. It's in the kitchen if you want it."

"Thanks."

"I'll let you get back to talking about me."

I watched Nathan disappear and noticed how my sisters were staring at me. "What?"

Taylor was the first one to come out of the stupor, "Stalker much?"

Quinn was quick to follow, sticking up for Nathan, "I think it's sweet. But I'm confused. What was he talking about a date?"

"He said that he wanted to ask me out in high school. He wanted to learn everything about me so that he could take me on the perfect date or something. I guess he didn't figure out the perfect date until after Damien and I were together."

"Hot shot Nathan Scott was afraid to ask out tutor Haley James? Right…"

"Tay!" Quinn chastised.

"Come on Quinn. That is such a line and you know it! We can't let her fall for that."

"Okay Tay. That's enough. You can leave. You don't know the first thing about me and Nathan."

"So you're finally admitting there is a you and Nathan?"

"Taylor, let's go." Quinn grabbed Taylor for me and pulled her out of the room. I gave Charlie one last hug and kiss before he was taken away from me and just laid back on the bed. This emergency meeting definitely didn't go the way I had hoped.


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay guys, we're back to more Nathan and Haley time for this chapter. Hope you enjoy

* * *

**I went downstairs to get my lunch and found that Nathan was still in the kitchen eating his own.

"Did I ruin your party?" he asked.

"No. Taylor did that all by herself."

"Do you two not get along?"

"Don't get me wrong, we love each other, but sometimes Taylor is just Taylor."

"Sounds kind of like Brooke."

"Probably just like Brooke. Totally awesome if you know her, but a total bitch if you don't."

"Can we find them a support group for that?"

"I wish." Yeah, Nathan has me laughing again. I'm having fun and all I'm doing is eating lunch. Nathan went out and got me one of my favorite foods. He put forth the effort without me even asking. Damien only did that if it was an anniversary or I asked really nice a.k.a. took off some clothes. Conversation flowed so much better between us too. Nathan seemed to care about my family, when all Damien wanted to do was push them away.

"Do you have any ketchup?"

"Of course, let me get some for you."

As soon as Nathan walked to the fridge, his phone rang. "Can you get that?"

"Uhh, yeah, I guess." I went over and looked at his phone. It was Jake. Thank God. "Hey Jakey."

"Did I dial the right number? Is this Nate's cell?"

"Yes, it is."

"So why are you answering?"

"Because we're eating lunch and I was closer to it. What do you need?"

"You, actually. Tell Nate that he needs to bring you back with him."

"Why?"

"Three's just some stuff we've got to do, Hales."

"Okay, that's cryptic."

"Just come down here when y'all are done eating."

"Okay. Do you need to talk to Nathan?"

"Nope. That was all I need. Don't answer his phone anymore though."

"Why not?"

"Because what if it was our boss?"

"Fine Jakey."

"And don't call me that."

"Okay, Damien." Nathan raised his eyebrows at that, thinking that Damien might have actually been on the phone.

"Hales…"

"Sorry. I meant Jake. It's so hard, when I hear someone barking orders at me, I just think it's him. Bye Jake." I hung up before he could say anything else. I've always liked having the last word and living with Damien, I haven't had it in a while. It felt just as good as I remembered.

"What was that about?" Nathan asked me.

"Jake says that you need to take me back to the station with you when you go."

"Okay…" We both went back to eating silently, pretending like we didn't notice when we would catch each other staring. "Are we going to pretend like I didn't hear what I did upstairs?" Nathan asked, breaking the silence.

"Hear what?" In case you didn't catch on, that means yes, we're going to pretend it didn't happen because in my mind you heard nothing and I have no idea what you're talking about. Apparently Nathan didn't catch on. Or maybe he did. I don't know, but to me, the conversation should have ended there. No such luck.

"Well, for one, I'd like to know who is Mr. Waffles?"

How embarrassing? All I can think right now is, Thank God he's asking about Mr. Waffles and not about us. Whatever we are. "Mr. Waffles is my teddy bear." Oh my God. I just sounded like a five year old.

"You still sleep with a teddy bear?" he asked with a smile.

"Noooo," I tried to protest before he stopped me.

"It's okay. Want to know a secret?"

"Sure."

"You know how I have one pillow case that is different from all the others?"

"Yeah."

"That's because it's made of my baby blanket."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Big shot Nathan Scott still sleeps with his baby blanket?"

"Technically, I guess you could say I do."

"Wow." Really. Wow. He is just as big of a nerd as I am. Damien would never do something like that. Let alone tell anybody. God, why do I keep comparing them? Oh, that's right, because Nathan is perfect and Damien is whatever the opposite of perfect is.

"Well, it was confusing listening to you girls talk about him. First you were talking about sleeping with him, then you were talking about saving yourself for him…"

"You really have a problem with boundaries, don't you?" Really, does he not know it's wrong to listen in on girl talk? And I wasn't saving myself for him, I was saving him for my kids. Gosh.

"Well, when someone has feelings for me…"

"Shut up!" Ugh! Okay, I officially hate him.

"What?" he asked innocently. Definitely wayyy too innocently if you ask me. That jerk knows what he said and he sure as hell knows it embarrasses me. I threw a chicken finger at him to make him shut up and it hit him right in the face. Possibly the first time I've ever hit a target.

"That wasn't very nice, Haley," he teased before eating it himself.

"Well, you weren't being very nice either!"

"Oh, come on, Hales…" Why is he walking around the counter? "You know I'm just playing with you…" He's definitely going in for the kill. Okay, Haley, take a deep breath and walk away… "Where are you going, Hales?"

"Away from you," I told him as I walked backwards around the counter, making sure that it stayed between us.

"I can see that. But why?"

"Because I'm married."

"You're married?" he asked as if it was a real question. "So since you're married, you can't talk to me?"

Still circling the counter, I answered, "You're not wanting to talk."

"Really? What am I wanting to do?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you running away from me?" Oh, that smirk will be the death of me.

"I'm not running away." I stop walking for a minute and just watch as he approaches me.

His whole body is within inches of mine and he leans in so that we are cheek to cheek as he whispers in my ear. "Promise?"

I don't trust myself to speak, so I just shake my head no. I turn around to run, but he puts his arms around me and pulls my back against his chest. "Don't run away, Hales."

I take his hands that are around my waist and put them in my hands, pulling them off of me before I turn around to face him. His eyes are just so damn blue I want to just grab his face and kiss him senseless, but I don't. "Jake's waiting for us," is all I say.

"Hales…" I can tell he wants to finish this now, but I just can't.

"Please, Nathan?" I look at him pleadingly, hoping he'll give me a little bit of pity. Thankfully, he does. He pulls me close to him and gives me a hug before kissing the top of my head and releasing me. "Thank you," I whisper before running off to change clothes. I never thought that living with Nathan would be this hard.


	18. Chapter 18

When we pulled up to the police station, I saw Damien's car outside.

"Are you sure that's his car?"

"Nathan. That is his car. That is his license plate, his dumbass bumper sticker and that is his stupid pine scented air freshener, okay? I can't go in there."

"If Jake said that he needed you, there had to be a reason."

"I don't give a fuck. If I'm going in there, you better have a police escort and it better not be you or Jake. Don't even let him see you. Please. Can you do that for me?"

He pulled his car around back so that Damien wouldn't be able to see us. When he parked, he finally spoke. "Haley. I can't make you any promises." Nathan wouldn't look at me and I knew that couldn't be good.

I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me. "Nathan. If you want there to be something with us, I need to be able to trust you. Please, just don't be there at the same time as me. He can't see you right before he sees me. Get someone to bring me in and just stay out of the way while I'm in there. If he has any inkling that you and I have any connection, it will make this divorce a lot more complicated."

"Haley, I want to be with you, but…"

"No Nathan. No buts. Either you do it or you don't."

"Okay. But can we kiss on it?"

"Not here… How about if you keep your part of the deal, you will get one kiss? But not until we're home."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now go find me an escort."

"God, I want to kiss you."

"Then you better get going."

* * *

"Jake? You said you needed me?" I asked once I was finally led into a sewcluded room with my best friend.

"Yeah. We have a bit of a problem."

"What?"

"Part of a restraining order demands that the person knows where you live. It's supposed to be so that they don't go in that area, but I have a feeling, Damien is demanding to know for other reasons."

"Yeah. He called me last night trying to find out."

"Well, here's the deal. You either have to tell him where you're staying or you can drop the restraining order."

This was bullshit. Although a restraining order is just a piece of paper, at least I knew that I could call cops and have him arrested. Without it, I just have to fend for myself. On the other hand, if Damien knows where I'm staying, he will likely kill me or Nathan he'd be so enraged. I was screwed no matter what I did.

"Haley!" I heard Damien scream. Great. Now he's seen me.

"Wait, he called you?"

"Yeah. Last night."

"That's a violation of the restraining order, so we can arrest him right now. Hold on." I watched as Jake walked up to another officer who cuffed Damien and carried him off as he was screaming my name. Jake came back and gave me a hug. "That should keep him for a while. Since you've given your statement, the next time he goes to court he probably won't be given bail." As I listened to Jake, I started to cry. I was finally safe. "You will have to appear in court though." Great. Of course there was a catch.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked as he rushed into the room that I was in with Jake.

"I thought I told you to stay away."

"I know, but Damien's in the holding cell. There is no way that he can see us. What's wrong, why are you crying? Did he do something?"

"No. I'm just happy. He's in jail and I'm safe. And it's all because of you two. Thank you guys."

I started to cry harder as I grabbed Jake for a hug. "You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

I pulled back and looked at my best friend. "Right back at ya." I then turned to Nathan and he pulled me in close, holding me much longer than Jake had.

"Is there something I need to know?" Jake asked as he watched us. I quickly pulled away from Nathan and shook my head vehemently.

"That was a pretty quick answer."

"That's because nothing is going on."

"Really? Because I could have sworn that I saw you kissing last night. I mean, I'm thankful I let him take over because I don't think I could have handled comforting you like that."

"Jake, it was nothing," I tried to convince him.

"If that's your story." Jake left us alone, but he was very skeptical. As was I. I had no idea what was going on between us, but it was getting harder to ignore every day.

Glad that Jake had left Nathan turned to me. "Do I still get that kiss?"

"That's the only reason you stayed away, isn't it?"

"Absolutely. I am dying for a replay of last night. That was…"

"Nice."

"Nice? There are many ways to describe that kiss, but nice is not one of them. I was thinking more amazing. Hot. Perfect…"

"You sound like a girl."

"Well, you look like one."

Umm… how exactly do you respond to that? Thank you? Or is that meant to be an insult? Because I sure as hell meant mine as one. Should I ask him what he meant? No. I think I'll just stare at him instead.

"I guess that wasn't exactly the best comeback," he finally said.

"Not really," I laughed.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I don't know. I kind of feel like I need to talk to Damien…"

"Why? We finally have him away from you. Why would you want to talk to him now?"

"I don't know," I told him honestly. I really didn't, but I just felt like things weren't right between us. "I just need a minute, okay?"

**

* * *

So, I actually had a "fight" with my husband where I said he sounded like a girl and apparently, I was supposed to be offended that I looked like a girl? I don't know, but at the time, I thought it was hilarious, I hope y'all got a little laugh out of it as well. And I hope he realizes how big of an idiot he is. & yeah, I know, I left you hanging a little, but it's fun & hopefully it keeps you coming back for more.**

**Also, I would like to ask y'all to join the "We Are One" Campaign for OTH's season 8!! You can just google "we are one campaign season 8" & it'll give you more information on how to help get us another season!!**


	19. Chapter 19

I sat on the bed, just thinking over the past few days. Life was getting crazy complicated.

"I'm glad you didn't talk to him," Nathan said, bringing me out of my thoughts. I just nodded my head. I was glad too, but I still felt unsure. "He doesn't deserve that. After all he put you through. He doesn't deserve to even breathe the same air as you."

Nathan sat on the bed beside me, holding my hand and intertwining our fingers. "You know what this means, right?" I asked him as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What?"

"It means it's time for me to go home. Or to my parents'. Or to Quinn's. I'm safe now. There's no longer a reason for me to be here."

I could tell by how rigid his body turned that he hadn't even thought of that. I hadn't been able to stop though. If Damien was in jail, then there was really no reason for me to be spending time with Nathan. "What if I don't want you to go?" he asked, finally speaking.

"It doesn't matter what you want. You have a roommate that doesn't want me here. Jake doesn't want me here. If Damien's lawyers find out I'm here when he is no threat to me, it could ruin my case."

"Then they won't find out."

I took my head off of his shoulder so that I could actually look at him. "Nathan, you know they will."

"But I like being with you…"

"I like being with you too." I couldn't help but smile. He looked cute when he felt helpless. "And I think you know that." He nodded to reassure me that I was right. "Just because I'm not sleeping here, doesn't mean we're never going to see each other again."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Do you remember what else you promised?" That stupid, yet devastatingly handsome smirk covered his face at the moment.

"What?" I asked, pretending that I had forgotten. There was no way in hell that I could forget though.

"You promised me a kiss."

"Really? I thought that was if you didn't talk to me in the police station. But wait…"

"No!" he shouted. "That doesn't count!" I couldn't help but laugh at how upset he got so quickly. "You're teasing me! You are so mean."

"I'm sorry, baby, it's just too easy."

"You just called me baby."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

So I did. Kind of. I just gave him a peck on the lips. Just as quick as I leaned in, I pulled away. Nothing like our first kiss, but I didn't promise him anything like our first kiss. "There you go. Your kiss."

"No, no, no. That was not a kiss."

"Yes it was. Our lips touched. That constitutes a kiss."

"I think I deserve a real kiss, I mean, I think I did a really good job today, which means I deserve a really good kiss. A real kiss."

"You can't just say it and have it happen. A kiss like that cannot be planned."

"Says who?"

"Says me. And considering my lips are the one doing the kissing, then I'm right."

"Okay. How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"You stay one more night. It'll be late by the time you pack your things and everything. Just one more night."

"Okay."

"Okay. But that's just part one of the deal."

"What's part two?"

"By the end of the night, you have to kiss me. A real kiss."

I looked at him challengingly. Should I do it? You know I should do it. I know I should do it, so what the hell? "Deal."

"Deal." He gave me some goofy grin as he shook my hand, sealing the deal. Crap. Did I just let him win?

* * *

Nathan and I sat on the couch watching TV. I was really bored and my mind wouldn't stop wandering, so I had to speak. "I have a question for you."

"You ask a question, I get to ask a question."

Was that an order? It seemed like an order rather than an option. Oh well. "Whatever," I huffed. I just wanted to ask my damn question. "Did you know that Damien was at the police station before we left here? Because if you did, you are an asshole."

"I didn't, but…"

"But what?"

"Jake did."

"So Jake is an asshole."

"Or maybe just Damien is an asshole for being there in the first place?"

"Calling my husband an asshole really isn't helping your chance at getting that kiss. Reminding me that I'm married for that matter doesn't help your case either."

"You forgot that you were married?"

Did I say that? Open mouth – insert foot. "It is possible… at moments… I might get lost… in someone else."

"In someone else or me?"

I looked him dead in the eye, refusing to let him win everything tonight, "Someone else."

"That hurt." Apparently it didn't hurt enough because it seemed before he could even take another breath, he was talking again. "My question is… will you go out with me?"

"No."

"What?" he asked, not believing that I had just told him no.

"I said no. I will not go out with you."

"Why not?"

"You know why not, Nathan!" This was seriously getting annoying.

"No, I don't. Please, Haley, tell me. I feel like I'm just being thrown around here like a stinkin' dog toy. One minute you like me, the next you don't. I just don't get why two people who like each other can't be together."

"I'm married, Nathan."

"So what? He's in jail, Haley! I put him in jail, for you. So that you could be safe!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" How the hell did one simple question turn out like this? Nathan yelling at me for no reason. He was beginning to scare me. I got up off of the couch as I started to feel tears fall. I couldn't let him see me like this. Not when he's the one that has caused it. I walked up the stairs to find my phone and call my sister. I couldn't be here right now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." He followed me. Of course he followed me. He's Nathan. "Haley, I'm so sorry."

"I don't know what I was thinking Nathan, I can't do this."

"You can't do what?"

"This," I said, pointing between the two of us. "Us. I can't do it."

"Why not?" he asked as if his heart was breaking.

""Because right now, you're scaring me. I've spent eight years in fear and I can't do it anymore."

"Do you really think that I would hurt you?"

"I don't know. I never thought that Damien would hurt me."

"I'm not Damien."

"How do I know that?"

"Because I could never hurt you." He walked up to me where I stood by the bed with my phone in my hand ready to call Quinn. He took the phone and put it on the bedside table before putting his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to him. "Just look in my eyes right now. I have loved you for twelve years, I have waited eight years for you to come back into my life. I would never do anything to jeopardize this chance that I finally have with you, especially not by hurting you the way he did. Can you look in my eyes and tell me that you think I could ever hurt you?"

"I do feel like that, Nathan, but I never thought Damien could hurt me either."

I guess he figured that his words weren't working the way he wanted because that's when he took me up on our deal. He removed his hands from around my waist, now taking my face in his hands. Even though he was no longer holding our bodies together, they grew increasingly closer as he both pulled me towards him and he leaned in closer. He didn't close his eyes, instead looking deep into mine, asking permission. Hitch's 90-10 rule held true and it made me weak in the knees. I went the extra ten degrees and our lips finally met. If I thought our first kiss was good, this was amazing. It started out gentle with him just trying to prove how he felt, but it soon turned to passionate as we released the sexual tension that had been building over the past few weeks.

Our previous kiss had caused my brain to become mush, causing my mind to not form a complete thought. This time, however, my mind was repeating his caring words. I remembered one declaration in particular, 'I have loved you for twelve years.' Love? I could feel it in the way he kissed. He meant it. But what did that mean? It made my brain become even foggier than it had been before. Love? Love. Love. I pulled away, both needing to catch my breath and to think. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't fully pull away from him. I just rested my forehead against his as I stared into his eyes. It had never been like this with Damien. It's not that our sex life was lacking, of course it was when we fought, but otherwise, it was quite stable and I thought quite good. Nothing compared to this though. It was damn near magical.

"That was…"

"Amazing," I finished.

"Yeah…"

He began closing the distance once more and I put my hand up in between our lips. "I said one kiss."

"You've got to be kidding me," Nathan huffed, exasperated.

"Not at all," I laughed in his face.

"You are evil."

"Thanks, babe."

"There you go again with the baby…"

"I said babe, not baby."

"Same thing."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"Sorry. I'm not falling for that one again." I so wanted to though. Oh boy, did I want to. Seriously, this boy could kiss. His kisses could very possibly move mountains. Damn, if his kisses are this good, I can't even imagine the sex… If he could only read my mind right now… "Just to be safe, I think we should go back downstairs."

"To be safe?" He obviously knew what I meant, so why did he have to pose that as a question? I swear he just wants to make me blush, but I won't let him get the best of me. I just nodded my head and he sent me a smile in return. He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him out of the room toward the stairs. Just holding his hand, it felt right. Like I was supposed to be with him.

**

* * *

Okay, so I know this is a bit of a sucky ending, but I wanted to go ahead & get this out. I had it written, but I'm on vacation, so I most likely won't be publishing this week. I should finish off their last night together in the next chapter, so this isn't the way I'm ending that night, I'm still not sure what will happen. Leave me some love!**


	20. Chapter 20

Nathan grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs with him at a running pace.

"Babe, you gotta slow down. I have short legs."

He turned around and smiled, slowing down for the final few steps as he walked backwards. He looked so darn cute, I couldn't help but smile back. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, he twirled me in a circle before pulling me in so that our chests were touching and we were just staring at each other. You would think that it would be awkward, but it really wasn't. At least it wasn't when we thought we were alone.

"So, dancing along to no music is nothing?" Jake asked.

We quickly stepped away from each other and looked at the intruder, "What the hell are you doing here?" Nathan asked annoyed. We were supposed to be alone since Clay was spending the night at Brooke's.

"My fault," Quinn said. "I wanted to congratulate Haley on finally being free, but I guess you've got that one covered."

I had no idea what to say. I, Haley James West, responsible and still married one, was just caught in the arms of irresponsible, Nathan Scott. Did words really have a place here?

"Yeah, we were actually just celebrating ourselves, since tonight is Haley's last night here, we're just trying to have some fun." Thank God for Nathan. I know that wasn't truly how he felt, but he knew saying that would make me more comfortable.

"And what exactly are you doing celebrate?" Jake asked. He really needed to learn to mind his own business.

"We were getting ready to watch a movie. You two can join us if you'd like," Nathan offered, once again saving me.

Quinn sent me a look, checking to see if I wanted her to stay. My eyes told her no, but I was too late. Jake had already accepted.

"So what movie are we watching?" he asked.

"We hadn't decided yet. We just got downstairs."

"From doing what?" Damn he was nosy.

"We were having wild animal sex," I told him before walking away and towards the TV. I grabbed Nathan's arm and pulled him along with me. I'm not sure who was more shocked by my statement, him or Jake. I was pretty proud of myself. I always am when I get a good comeback.

Jake and Quinn were fast on our heels. "She's joking, right?" I heard Jake mutter to Quinn, who just laughed in response.

Nathan grabbed a DVD from the shelf. I took it from him to examine, "Minority Report? I think not. My life sucks, I get to pick the movie."

"You've got to be kidding me, Hales. You're pulling a Notting Hill?"

"Damn straight I am."

"What's a Notting Hill?" Jake and Nathan both asked not knowing the wonders of the chick flick.

"In Notting Hill, they had this competition of who's life sucked the most and whoever had the worst life, got the last brownie or something," Quinn explained.

"Yeah and Julia Roberts thought her life sucked, but, hello, she looked like fucking Julia Roberts. How can that suck?"

"Julia Roberts has nothing on you," Nathan said to me, but still loud enough for the other two to hear, causing Jake to shoot knives at Nathan and Quinn to 'awww'. "So wouldn't that disqualify you from competition? If being gorgeous means your life can't suck, then you're rosy."

I just looked at Nathan. Seriously, where had this guy been? "I win. There's not even a competition in this room."

"Yeah. No offense Hales, but your life blows."

"Thanks, Quinnie. I knew you were good for something."

"Hey, who says my life doesn't suck?"

"Nathan… have you looked around this mansion you call home?"

"Money isn't everything."

"Wow. He sounds just like Julia!"

"I at least deserve a shot. What do I have to do to pick the movie?"

"Tell us a sob story. It must all be true and bring tears to your eyes."

"Okay. Let's see. I was raised by an asshole and an alcoholic. My father lived vicariously through me. He couldn't make it pro, so I had to. Everything I did, I was compared to him. My parents got divorced when I was 15. I lived with my mother at first because I couldn't stand being around my father, but then her alcoholism turned into a drug addiction. I couldn't stay with her anymore, so I told her that I was going to move in with my father. That night, she ODed. I abandoned my mother, so she killed herself. I then had to stay with my asshole of a father who had a heart attack and died when I was 19. So now, I'm a lonely 25 year old orphan."

"Okay… that was kind of depressing," I admitted. "But then again, my husband beat me, killing my child, and leaving me penniless."

"Yeah, Nathan, that's pretty depressing, but you've had some time to cope. Hales still has stitches in her skull." Thank you Quinn, for bringing up the stitches. I guess that could help my case though.

"Jake? Who gets your vote?" I asked, really hoping that I still had pull with my best friend.

"Sorry, man, stitches over scars. Your pick Hales."

"Yay!" I shouted before I started laughing. "You know, your life really must suck when you get excited about it sucking more than someone else's." I turned back to the movie selection as everyone began laughing along with me. What a pathetic life. At least I had these people to spend it with though. "Jackpot!" I screamed, making everyone in the room jump. I triumphantly waved the DVD in the air before giving it to Nathan to put in the player.

"What is it?"

"Only the funniest movie of all time."

"Oh God, not again," Quinn moaned.

"What is it?" Jake asked again.

"Wedding Crashers" Quinn and I said in unison, only each of us with different tones. Me being extremely excited versus Quinn who was extremely annoyed. I couldn't really blame her though. I made her watch it all the time.

"If you recite it, I will hit you," Quinn warned.

"Is that a threat?"

"No, that's a promise."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing two cops were here to witness it."

"Just shut up and watch the movie," Jake groaned. I could tell that he was remembering all of the horrid movie nights we made him sit through when we were younger. Poor boy.

* * *

"_True love is the soul's recognition of it's counterpoint in_ _another_," I quoted.

"Hales, it's not impressive that you're quoting that… he just told her to say it five minutes ago."

"I didn't think it was impressive, Quinnie. I thought it was sweet."

"Right…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, quickly sitting up. I soon regretted doing so when I felt the air hit the parts of my body that had previously been covered. And it wasn't covered by a blanket either. I looked beside me and saw Nathan staring intently at me, probably wondering exactly what I was… why the hell did I move? I laid back down just as quickly as I had popped up, the swiftness causing me to shiver.

"You cold?" Nathan whispered when he felt me shaking.

I nodded my head and watched as he got up and grabbed two blankets from in a closet. He threw one at Jake and Quinn who were snuggled together on his recliner. The throw of the blanket effectively silencing the conversation. I smiled as Nathan laid down next to me once more and covered us with the blanket.

I couldn't get the plastered grin off of my face as Nathan pulled me in closer to him while he worked the blanket down with his toes. Inadvertently or not, he was definitely playing footsies with me.

"So, did you notice how these two best friends slash partners are going after two sisters? With the completely psycho sister and the crazy tall partner being together?" Quinn joked.

"Shut up," Jake reprimanded her. "I don't want to hear it."

"Jakeypoo," I whined. This was getting seriously annoying. Jake was being crazy hot and cold with the idea of me and Nathan being together and to be honest, each day, I liked it a bit more. I needed my best friend to like it too. He had to at least accept the idea of it.

"Don't you dare Haley! I'm not going to look at you. It's not going to work, okay?"

Even though Jake said he wasn't going to look, he always does, which is why I love him. I gave him my saddest eyes along with my signature pout that always worked on him. No matter what I wanted him to do, Jake always did it when I asked. Like in first grade when I decided I wanted to be a make-up artist when I grew up, I gave Jake the look and he was my model. Then when we were freshmen, I wanted to be a hairdresser. After hours of begging, I gave him "the look" for less than a minute and his hair was soon green.

"We're too old for that, Hales. It just doesn't work on me anymore…" Jake kept trying to convince himself that it wouldn't work, that I couldn't make him do anything I ever wanted to, but that didn't change anything. He would always be putty in my hands.

"Jakeypoo… You need to stop being such a party pooper."

"I'm not being a party pooper!"

"Oh yes you are," Quinn joined in with me.

I looked at Nathan and he immediately joined in too, "Yeah, man. You're a total buzz kill."

"Dude! You're not even drinking!" Jake tried to protest. "And don't you dare say anything about being drunk on love or some bullshit. I swear to God I will punch you in the face if you do!"

"Ohhh, Jakey. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Damien was arrested when he did that. And I love you too much to see you behind bars."

"That's… twisted."

"Shut up, Quinn. We already went through our 'my life sucks' game. I think we've established that I'm pretty demented at the moment."

"I think we're getting off topic," Nathan said, keeping his eye on the prize.

"That's right… Jakey."

"I'm not gonna look." I knew it wouldn't be long before he turned his head, but luckily I didn't have to wait at all. Being the great sister that she was, Quinn grabbed Jake's face, forcing him to look at me. He closed his eyes though, persistent upon keeping his biased attitude towards me and Nathan. I turned around to look at Nathan and using my fingers, adjusted his facial expression to match mine. However, before I had finished, Quinn had forced Jake's eyes open. "God, really you two. Get a room?"

"Really? That worked a lot better than I had planned."

"No, not really! That's just not right. My partner and my best friend. My little Haley James and Nathan Scott…"

I sat up, no longer joking around and having fun, "I'm not little Haley James anymore, Jake."

"You're right. You're Haley James West. A very fragile and broken girl. You're just really vulnerable right now Hales and I don't want you to be taken advantage of."

Nathan stood up, obviously annoyed, "And you think I'm going to take advantage of her? After all the shit we've been through. We're supposed to have each other's backs. We're supposed to fucking trust each other. How could you think that I'd take advantage of her?"

"It's not you, man… It's just… she's my best friend. I've got to protect her."

"Yeah, well, I thought we were best friends too. Guess I was wrong." Nathan stormed off to his bedroom and I just watched him go.

Jake looked over at me as if it was my job to chase him down. "Sorry, babe, this one's all you." I watched as Jake scurried off after Nathan and couldn't help but laugh. "Trouble in paradise."

"How exactly did that just happen?"

"I have no idea. That was awkward though, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know what Jake's so upset about. Y'all are adorable."

"No, I get it. Which I guess is why it bothers me so much. I feel like such a slut and all I've done is kiss him. I just don't get how something can feel so right and so wrong all at the same time."

"Hales…"

"Quinn… I'm still married."

"So what? It's not like Damien hasn't done worse."

"What do you mean? Do you know something that I don't?"

"I'm not so sure Damien was as faithful as you think."

"Is that a fact or a feeling?"

"Both, I guess."

"How do you guess?"

"Look, Hales, I don't know for sure if anything happened once you were married, but before that he was sleeping with someone else."

"So, while we were dating, before I was married, my boyfriend was having sex with someone else?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't think that it was important for me to know that before I married him?"

"You eloped! There was no way I could have known you were going to marry him."

"So that's your excuse for lying to me for years?"

"It's not an excuse."

"It sure as hell sounds like one." I turned my back on my sister and ran up the stairs to Nathan's room. He and Jake seemed to at least be getting on a little bit better. "Can you take Quinn and go?"

"Why? Is she okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want both of you away from me right now. So please, just leave."

Jake didn't say anything else. He just walked out like I asked him to. I looked at Nathan who looked extremely worried and I automatically began to cry. He rushed to me and wrapped his arms around me as I broke down in his arms. Again.


	21. Chapter 21

It had been ten minutes since I had broken down in Nathan's arms and we were still standing in the middle of his bedroom. It was completely silent other than my sobs and the slight sound of Nathan's hands rubbing my back. "Haley, what happened?" he finally asked.

"Did you and Jake make up?"

"Yeah, Jake and I are fine. Now tell me what's wrong with you."

I shook my head in his chest, "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Do you want to just go to bed?"

I pulled myself away from him for just a moment as I looked up into his caring eyes. Bed. That is exactly what I wanted to do. I grabbed his neck and pulled his lips to mine in a kiss unlike before. It wasn't romantic or fairy tale or anything like that. It was simply hot, filled with unadulterated passion. Maybe unadulterated is the wrong term, since I was in essence, about to commit adultery. When I finally came up for air I pushed him back onto the bed before quickly climbing on top of him and resuming.

"Hales…" he tried to talk, but I wouldn't let him. I didn't want to talk. I wanted to even the score. Nathan turned his face away from me so that he could talk, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I continued kissing down his neck. "Hales, what are you doing?"

I stopped what I was doing to look at him, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Well, it kinda looks like you're trying to sleep with me."

"Maybe that's because I am." I started back kissing him, figuring that he now got the picture, but this time he didn't kiss me back. I sat up, confused and a little bit pissed, "I thought you wanted me."

"I do."

"So then kiss me."

"No," he said as he sat up himself.

"Why not?"

"Haley, what happened?"

"I asked you first. Why don't you want me anymore? Am I that hideous? Or am I that jaded? Or scarred? Or whatever the fuck everybody thinks I am?"

"That is not it at all! I don't want to just have sex with you Haley. I want to make love to you."

"So then do it."

"That's not what this would be and you know it. How do you go from not kissing me one second, to trying to undress me the next?"

"Nevermind. I'm sorry. I should go." I picked myself up from the bed and started walking to the door, but Nathan grabbed my wrist. Plenty of times Damien had grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving, but it seemed that each time, he left bruises. Nathan's hold on me was gentle. It was simply to let me know that he didn't want me to leave. If I had wanted to, I could easily have slipped his grasp, but I didn't. I stayed still, waiting for him to say something.

He didn't say anything though. Instead, he showed me. He pulled me in close and once again kissed me. "Trust me, Hales. I do want you, but you don't want this."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because your mind doesn't change that fast. You felt guilty just kissing me, there's no way that you would want to do anything more. Jake was right when he said you were vulnerable and I wasn't lying when I said I would never take advantage of you. Will you please just tell me what happened downstairs?"

"Nothing happened."

"Liar…"

"Just… if Damien wasn't faithful, then why should I be?"

"Because you're better than him. In every way."

What a cheesy answer. Doesn't this boy get that I am standing in front of him offering him sex? "So, there's no chance that you'll sleep with me tonight?"

"I will sleep next to you."

"God! When did you become such a prude?" I screamed at him, incredibly frustrated.

"Wow… someone believes stereotypes."

"What? Are you saying that you aren't a playboy?"

"No, I'm not."

"Since when?"

"I never have been."

"Bullshit."

"I'm telling the truth."

"Nathan Scott. You are such a scumbag liar. I can't even count how many stories I've heard from the numerous girls who have hooked up with you."

"In high school?"

"Yes, in high school."

"Well, those girls were lying."

"Right… I think you're lying." Seriously. What the hell was going on here? I seriously feel like I'm in an alternate dimension right now.

"Brooke was the only girl I slept with in high school. I may have made out with a lot of girls, but nothing more."

"So then what exactly was your role in Shelley's abortion?"

"Pure rumor. That chick was psycho. I never even spoke to her and she tried to convince me to pay for some abortion. It was ridiculous!"

"So, y'all didn't hook up at the party that night?"

"You mean the very first party at my house that you ever came to? Hell no. I did nothing at that party other than trying to keep that scuz Chris away from you." Ugh. Chris. I had completely forgotten about that kid. He was all about me that night. I had always thought it was weird how after that night, I never heard from him again. I guess now I know why.

I couldn't believe that he had done that. "You remember the first party I went to?"

"I told you. I remember everything about you."

Damn, this boy knew how to sweep me off my feet. Were we arguing? It kind of feels like we were supposed to be arguing. Except now I'm just incredibly turned on. No, wait, stop. That is exactly how we ended up here in the first place. "Dammit." Double dammit. I didn't mean to say that out loud. Dammit dammit dammit!

"What?"

I looked up at this devastatingly handsome man in front of me and my mind just kept going foggy, only being able to think about one thing. When I didn't answer Nathan repeated himself. My mind wasn't thinking too well at the moment and it was all his fault. It seemed that he was getting worried that I wasn't responding, considering the quick turn or lack of conversation that now hung between us.

"Hales, are you okay?"

I nodded my head, biding time before I actually had to speak. Once my mind had finally gathered, I spoke, "You better fucking kiss me back this time." And he did.


	22. Chapter 22

My phone wouldn't stop ringing and it was really beginning to piss me off. Whoever it was really needed to quit calling me.

"Just answer your phone," I heard someone mumble next to me. My eyes snapped open at the male voice and I jumped to answer my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetie," I heard come over the phone.

"It is too early for sweeties Viv. In fact it's too early for anything. Why are you calling?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm coming home today."

"Why?"

"Can't I just visit my family?"

"Not without an agenda."

"Oh Toots, you know me so well. Just don't worry your pretty little head about it. Me and my new man will be there tonight. I was hoping we could stay with you."

"Wow, Viv, thanks for knowing what's going on in my life…"

"Oh, shut it. You can eat your words later. Just expect us later. Love you."

What the hell? Did that seriously just happen? I hate my family. Frustrated, I laid back on my bed only to land on another body. "Shit!" I screamed when I felt someone underneath me. I jumped up and saw Nathan laughing on the bed. "Shit…"

"You keep saying that."

"Sorry. I was just in my own world." What the hell was I doing here? Last night wasn't necessarily foggy, but I'm pretty sure that my ethics were. What the hell was I thinking? I couldn't just get revenge and have everything become perfect. That just didn't happen. I guess I should be thankful that Nathan knew that. Now that it was morning, I needed to find out the whole truth about things. I had to go home. "I need to go."

"Okay. Do you want me to drive you somewhere?"

"No. I can just walk. Thanks." I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.

"When will I see you again?"

"I don't know. I've got some family stuff to deal with. I'll come back to get my stuff though. I'll call you."

* * *

I walked up to my house and was surprised to find all of the doors open. I wanted to call Nathan, just to make sure that Damien was still in jail and not in my house, but I didn't. I just walked inside, having faith that Nathan and Jake had kept him in jail as promised. The house was a wreck. Damien had obviously had a fit and broken so many things. I went to the garage to check on my car and found that all four tires had been slashed.

I was so thankful at this time that I hadn't been there when Damien lashed out. I'm sure I would be dead if I had been there. I didn't want to be here right now, looking at this destruction caused by me. Right now, I really needed my man. I fell to the ground, crying as I called the number.

* * *

"Hales?" I heard my name being called, but chose to ignore it. I knew I didn't have to talk for him to find me. It wasn't much longer before I felt a wet nose brush across my leg.

"Charlie! I missed you, baby!" I gave my dog a hug and squeezed him tightly, never wanting to let go. I kissed all over his head as I tried to dodge his tongue that was attacking my face. "I guess you missed me too."

"Hales, I was calling for you. Why didn't you answer?" Quinn huffed when she finally found me, still in the garage.

"Why didn't you tell me my husband was cheating on me?"

"Hales…" She didn't say anything else. Just my name. As if that worked and made things okay.

"What? You can't even form a complete sentence now? Guilt finally get to you? Not until you find me bloody and beaten, do you think to tell me that my husband is a cheater. What the hell is that? What kind of sister are you?"

"A better one than me," Taylor said as she appeared behind Quinn.

"What? Are you double teaming now? You figure I can't hate both of you? Because I'm pretty sure that I can. Do you see now what I've fucking lived with?" Charlie started barking at me when I raised my voice to my sisters. He hated it when I was upset. That's what I love about him.

"Look, Hales, I told you that I didn't know for sure if he cheated on you. And I don't think he did once you got married."

"What the hell Quinn? You go from not knowing to now so sure? What, did you call up the slut and say, 'hey, just wondering, did you possibly quit having sex with my sister's husband eight years ago, or are you still fuck buddies?' Cause if that's the case, I'd love to talk to the slut myself."

"God, Hales, when did you turn into such a judgmental bitch?"

Hmmm… someone is taking offense to this just a little bit too much. "Why are you even here Taylor? I called Quinn."

"I'm here to help you."

"By calling me a judgmental bitch? Because obviously I have no right to call someone who was sleeping with my husband a slut, right? Whoever she is must be an absolute angel, right?"

"I didn't say that," Taylor mumbled.

"What? I can't hear you…" Of course I could hear her, but there was something going on that she wasn't telling me and letting her slide was not going to get the truth out.

"I didn't mean it that way."

"So how did you mean it? Because I really want to know what would make that okay. Was it Casey? Is that why you're sticking up for her?"

"It wasn't Casey, okay?"

"Then why don't you want to kill the bitch just as much as I do?"

"Because it was me."

* * *

**Oh snap. I know. Taylor's a slut. But, come on, what do you expect of someone who convinced Haley she was going to die when she got her first period. Seriously, one of my favorite lines ever. I just love Taylor and I love writing her evil and as a best friend. I mentioned Casey. Just assume that's Taylor's best friend who she might stick up for. As of right now, there is nothing further for that character, so who she is isn't really significant, but just wanted to let y'all know.**


	23. Chapter 23

As if my life wasn't screwed up enough, now this? My sister having sex with my husband. I'm not even sure how I feel about it at this moment. I want to know more, but I don't. I need to know more though. "How… how could you sleep with my husband?"

"You weren't married at the time."

"So that makes it okay? When did it happen?" I knew I was just torturing myself by asking questions, but I just couldn't help it.

"It started when y'all broke up junior year."

"That makes no sense. We never broke up."

"He said you broke up. Something about him pushing you too far."

"That was just a fight. So what? I wouldn't spread my legs, so you did?"

"He was really upset. We were both drunk.."

"Hold on… you said it started then. Does that mean it was an ongoing affair?"

"Yes."

"How long?" I was for sure that I didn't want to know, but I once again asked anyways.

"It stopped when you got married."

"Wow. For two years, you slept with my boyfriend behind my back. I always knew you were a bitch, but that is lower than I ever thought you would go. I'm your sister."

"I'm so sorry, Hales."

"Why? You could have stopped it. Two years. Two fucking years. No, I take that back. Ten years you've been lying to me. I mean, you could have just chocked it up to a drunken one night stand, but you kept fucking him. For two years. While I sat there like a dumbass falling for him. Why didn't you stop it?"

"You don't want to know."

"You're right, I don't. But as long as we're confessing things, I think you should just get it out. Tell me everything. Why did you go on for two years?"

"Because the sex was good, okay? You wouldn't give him what he wanted and I did."

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the moment. Seriously. This was so messed up. it had to be a joke. "You are such a fucking slut. I was sleeping with him! And you knew it! I gave up my values for him, because I thought he loved me. I thought he was going to leave me for someone else if I wouldn't have sex with him. But it didn't matter. He was still getting it all the time from my whore of a sister."

"Well, missionary gets boring after a while."

I was about a millisecond away from ripping her hair out when she said that. "You fucking whore! How dare you! What the fuck is your problem? You're not even remorseful about it. You're proud of yourself. You know, this is all your fault. The constant beatings and rape. Everything. You could have stopped it. You should have stopped it. You need to get the fuck out of my house right now."

"Hales, this is hard for her too," Quinn said from the corner of the room. I had forgotten that she was even there.

"You kept this a secret too. You're just as much to blame. Both of you need to leave. Now."

"Hales, I'm not going to leave you alone like this."

"You know what? Damien has a gun upstairs. Wanna know how I know? Because he's held it to my head. More than once. Still feel good about not telling me? Because let me tell you. If you don't get out of my house now, I will get that gun and hold it at your head."

"Hales, don't do this." Quinn started walking towards me. I don't know why, but I can only figure that she wanted to comfort me. I wasn't having it though. Right now, I just wanted to rip her head off.

I pushed her away, refusing to let her touch me. "I am not messing around. Get out of my house." Finally they listened and left my house. As soon as they were gone, I once again fell to the floor in tears. I was so thankful that Charlie was there to comfort me. I needed someone in the worst way and everyone that was supposed to love me had betrayed me.

* * *

I was still on the floor when Vivian came into my house. Without knocking of course. That's just who she was and I loved her to death.

"Hales? What happened?" she asked as she ran to where I was curled up on the floor.

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"About Taylor. Sleeping with Damien."

"What?"

"Taylor slept with Damien. For two years. While we were together. Our sister, the whore, just proved how much of a slut she really is."

"Where is she? I will fucking kill her!"

"I already threatened her. I think I got the point across."

"I'm sorry, Hales." She gave me a hug, but it was more than just that. She gave me back the faith I had in our family. Maybe a few traitors ran among us, but some still had my back. "I was coming with good news, but I guess that's all blown to shit now."

"I'd love some good news. What is it?"

"My new guy. Rich as all hell. Wanna know why?"

I couldn't help the smile that Vivian caused. With everything going on, she's got good news that her new boyfriend is rich. "Why?"

"Because divorce rates are up. He's the best fucking divorce lawyer in Raleigh. And he's going to represent you. And when you think really hard about, this sordid affair might help us. Infidelity will help the trial go through quicker."

"Mmm. Ever the optimist."

"Hey, somebody's got to be."

* * *

I'm sitting at my kitchen table, discussing my case with Vivian's new boyfriend when all of a sudden, I hear someone screaming my name throughout the house. It is accompanied by heavy, frantic footsteps that were obviously on a mission.

"In here," Vivian shouted.

Nathan soon appeared at the kitchen door looking like a deer in the headlights. "Sorry, I didn't know you had company."

"Well, well. If it isn't Nathan Scott."

"Do I know you?"

"No, but I know you. Vivian James." Vivian held out her hand and Nathan quickly accepted it.

"One of the many sisters?"

"You got it. So, what brings you around here?"

"Quinn told Jake that you weren't doing well. I was worried. I didn't want you to be alone." My face quickly turned red as I saw Vivian give me a questioning look.

"That's so sweet of you. As you can see, she's not alone, but you should stay. You can help us. We were just discussing the case with Mike. You're the arresting officer, right?"

"One of them."

"Well, thank you for taking care of my sister."

"No problem. I just wish I could have helped her sooner."

"Oh don't worry. We've already found someone else to take blame for all of it. So don't feel too bad."

"Shut up, Viv." I elbowed her in the side, hoping she'd get the picture. Nathan had seen me vulnerable too much already, I didn't need him knowing about all of this new family drama.

"Toots, you can't get so defensive about this. It's all going to come out in the trial anyways."

"I guess it'll be good that the whole world will know what a slut Taylor is."

"What happened?" Nathan asked as he came to join us. He sat down at the table next to me and made sure that he was touching me as we were talking. I could just feel the other two staring as he put his hand on the small of my back. "Quinn just said you had a blowout. Was it about last night?"

"Last night?" Vivian asked, stepping in on our talk.

"Yeah. The fight kind of started out last night at Nathan's. I bitched at Quinn and didn't really let the start fight then."

"And what exactly were you doing at Nathan's?" Mike asked.

"I was staying with him. Until they put Damien in jail. He threatened me and had already tracked me down at Mom and Dad's, so I needed to stay somewhere that he wouldn't be able to find me."

"Sorry, I have to ask this, but are you two together? You seem kind of close. If you were living with your boyfriend while you're married to Damien that wouldn't look good in court."

"No. We are definitely not together. I actually understand the sanctity of marriage."

"So, you two are not intimate?"

Hmm. Intimate. I wonder what exactly that entails. If I'm honest, we sure as hell are intimate. God, last night we did everything but. And holy shit was it good. Of course I felt guilty as hell, but that couldn't overshadow how extremely amazing Nathan's hands were and how much I wanted them on me again. Damn. What did he just ask? Intimate. Right. We didn't have sex, so technically, I guess I could say no. I would say no.

"No. Definitely not. We have not been intimate." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Nathan removed his hand from my back. I wasn't the only one who noticed. Vivian once again gave me the questioning look I'd been getting ever since Nathan stepped into the room.

"We're just friends," he said. I guess I didn't realize it when it came from my mouth, but when Nathan said it, I felt a pang in my heart. I hated hearing him deny anything between us. I guess the rest of the night would be full of pretending.


	24. Chapter 24

**Since I don't say it enough, i just want to thank you again for all of the reviews!!!**

* * *

"I don't know about you, babe, but I am spent. Hales, we can take the room at the end of the hall, right?" Vivian got up and started off to the room before I could even answer. She took Mike with her and pulled him off to the room, leaving me and Nathan just staring at each other. We just sat there saying nothing when Vivian's head popped back in. "I forgot… It was good seeing you again Nathan." She disappeared once more and another minute later her head popped back in. "Damn guys, seriously. Are y'all not gonna attack each other now? I mean, no one else is around. How long do I have to wait to catch you in the act."

Wow. My sister. I got up and walked over to her, giving her a hug. "We told you, Viv. Nothing is going on. Now go to bed."

"Yes, Mommy." She stuck her tongue out at me and skipped away. It was weird how my oldest sister seemed to act even younger than me sometimes. Who am I kidding? She acts younger than me most of the time.

"I should get going, too," Nathan said as he stood up from the table and starting towards the front door.

"Wait. Don't go yet. I'll be right back." I waited until Nathan nodded his head and sat back down before I ran upstairs to my room and grabbed my jacket. I then ran back downstairs and told Vivian that I was going out for some air. I went back to the kitchen to find Nathan with his head on the table, nearly asleep. "I didn't realize I took that long."

Nathan sat up and smiled. "You didn't. I'm just tired. I didn't really sleep well last night."

"Really? I slept like a log."

"I know… So why did you want me to wait?"

"I wanted to walk you home."

"How did you know I walked?"

"Because you were panting like a maniac when you ran in here earlier. I just needed to get a coat. You ready?"

"Yep."

* * *

"I wish I could hold your hand right now."

"So why don't you?"

"I don't want to complicate your case. That Mike guy made it seem like us being friends was a horrible idea."

"I think we're more than friends," I whispered as I brushed my arm against his, rubbing the backs of our hands together. It wasn't as good as actually holding his hand, but out in the open it was all we could do. Even if it was late at night, you never know who could be lurking.

"Really?"

"Don't you?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, of course. It's just that's the first time you've admitted it."

"I don't like lying about it."

"I don't either, but it's the only way to keep you safe." I knew he was right, but I hated that he was right too.

We reached his door and I was just dying to go in. I stood there, just hoping for an invitation, but it didn't come. No guts, no glory, right? "I need a good night kiss," I told him as I looked down at my feet.

"You need one or you want one?"

"Both. But it can't happen out here."

"So you want to come inside?"

"I thought you'd never ask." I scooted past Nathan and into his house. The tone in which he said it wasn't exactly an invitation, but I took it as one. I grabbed his hand, pulling him in after me. Closing the door, I pushed Nathan against the door giving him the kiss that I had been craving ever since he walked into my house.

"That didn't seem like a good night kiss…"

"Well what did it seem like?"

"It seemed like a 'I want to jump your bones' kiss."

"That is pretty accurate." I couldn't help but smile. Goodness, what is this boy doing to me?

"You know, you shouldn't kiss me like that."

"Why not?"

"Because I might not be able to control myself."

"Right. And we have to. At least for a little while." Ugh. I hated saying that, but it was true.

"Last night shouldn't happen again."

"Ever?" And no. I was not seriously asking if it would ever happen again. I knew it would. I just loved hearing him talk about wanting to be with me.

"Oh, hell no. It will happen again." I no longer had him up against the door, because now I was slowly being moved back to another wall. "Many, many, more times," he whispered in my ear.

"Nathan…" I swear, I sounded like a whimpering puppy.

"Yes?"

"You said I couldn't kiss you like that… Well, you definitely cannot talk like that."

"Like what?" he once again whispered huskily in my ear.

I put my arms around his neck because I swear my legs were about to give way from underneath me when he talked like that. "Baby, you know like what."

"Baby?"

"Mmhmm," I nodded. "Baby." I took his face in my hands and directed his lips towards mine. It was crazy. Each time we kissed, it was different. Amazing. Electric. Unbelievable. Mind numbing. Definitely mind numbing. I always seem to forget where I am, or what I'm supposed to be doing or feeling.

"Dear God, at least I warn you," Brooke seemingly shouted as she walked into the foyer.

"What?" Nathan asked as he pulled away from me, both annoyed and confused.

"When I'm about to have sex somewhere in your house, I at least let you know so that you don't have to walk in on it."

"We weren't…" I tried to protest, but Brooke didn't stop.

"Oh, Tutor girl, you so were. It's about time anyways. You've been mooning over her for what? Twelve years now, Nate? And dear God, if she wasn't obvious enough in high school. Damn. Just imagining all that built up sexual tension gets me hot."

"Brooke, shut up. What are you doing here anyways? Isn't Clay at work?"

"He is, but I'm bored and I thought she wasn't coming back. I miss my Natey time."

"You sound like Tim."

"Well, sooooorry. I guess I'll go…" Brooke VERY slowly started shuffling her feet towards the door and I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's okay, Brooke. You stay. I need to go. My sister is waiting for me at home."

"Really?" A smile popped right up on Brooke's face as if it was her birthday or something. That girl is officially crazy.

Nathan on the other hand, sent me a very sad look. "Fine. Brooke, go put on the game and I'll be there in a minute." Brooke skipped off to the TV room and Nathan just sighed. "Why did you do that to me?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I haven't really hung out with her in ages, so it should be fun. But to be honest, I'd much rather be hanging out with you."

"I would much rather you be with me too…"

"We're not like that anymore. I promise."

"Good." I don't know why, but I had kind of been worried about that. I guess that old insecurities die hard. Especially with the new drama that had popped up into my life. "Viv and my new lawyer would probably suspect something if I was here for too long."

"I can't wait until all of this is over."

"Me neither."

"So how about that good night kiss?"

"Didn't I already give you that?"

"No, if you recall, I got your 'fuck me now' kiss. I need a good night kiss."

"You need one, or you want one?" I asked, repeating his earlier words.

"Both."


	25. Chapter 25

I walked back into my house and went straight to the kitchen to clean up. It felt weird. I always used to clean up for fear of Damien. It kind of made me want to just leave a mess. As I fed the leftover pizza crusts to Charlie, I seriously contemplated leaving the mess, but realized that I was too neat for that. I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice Vivian lurking in the corner.

"Your lipstick is smudged."

I think I jumped about a foot in the air when I heard her voice coming out of the dark. "Shit! No lurking. Damien used to do that. You scared the shit out of me. And I'm not wearing lipstick. Good try though."

"Okay, I was kind of just hoping you'd just cop to making out with the cop, but I guess it'll take more than that."

"Haha. My sister and her puns. You're just too funny. But really, nothing's going on between us," I lied, turning away from her to continue cleaning.

"Turning away just proves that you're lying."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I've known you since you were born. I know all your tells."

"No, not that. How could you tell about Nathan?"

"By the way that he was always touching you. He also looked at you as if you were the second coming. Then there was his frantic search of you simply because you had a fight with your sister. It's so obvious how he feels."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Then there's also that hickey on your collarbone." Vivian pointed to an almost fully covered hickey that I hadn't even noticed. Crap. That seriously wasn't good. I sat down on the chair next to her and tried to not think about how deep I was in this.

"I should probably wear a different type of shirt tomorrow."

"I'd avoid shorts too. Looks like you've got another love bite." She laughed at me as she pointed to yet another hickey that was on my thigh. Seriously. Tomorrow, I was going to kill Nathan. Suddenly Vivian grabbed my shirt and pulled it up, "You got anymore under there?"

I pushed her hands off of me and put my shirt back down as I gave her a menacing look. "I hate you."

"You love me. And you're screwing Nathan Scott."

"I am not!" I shouted, most likely waking up Mike if he had been asleep.

"Hales, darling. How do I put this politely?" She paused as if actually thinking of a nice way to say it, but I knew it wouldn't be. It's Vivian after all. "Inner thigh hickeys don't lie," she finally said. Not exactly poetic, but generally true.

"We didn't have sex," I once again told her. How many times do I have to say it?

"Fine. No penetration, but he totally got you off. Don't lie, Hales."

My face turned bright red. Why do my sisters always have to talk so openly about private things?

"It's okay, Hales. It's only fair. I mean, if Damien cheated on you…"

"That wouldn't make it right. Which is why I can't and won't sleep with Nathan."

"So this thing with Nathan isn't about revenge?"

"Not at all," I told her as I shook my head.

"Then is it about living some high school fantasy?"

I hadn't really thought of it that way, but I guess it kind of was. "Maybe. But it's a lot more than that too. In high school I thought it was all one-sided, but now… he said that he had loved me then."

"Woah. Hold up. Love?"

"I know, right? That's what I thought. I'm not sure if he even meant to say it. I guess it kind of slipped out. But there are so many things he's told me about back then. I think probably the best example I have is the other day when he bought me chicken fingers for lunch."

"So?"

"I didn't ask him for chicken fingers. I didn't ask him for lunch at all. I was staying with him and he showed up at lunchtime with chicken fingers simply because he remembered that I ate them for lunch in high school."

"Okay. That is kind of sweet."

"Kind of? I swear, Damien still probably doesn't know all of my favorite foods. And he would never dream of leaving work in the middle of the day so that he could have lunch with me."

"Maybe that just means that you chose a bad husband."

"Thank you Viv, for always stating the obvious… What do you think?"

"About what?"

"About me and Nathan."

"I don't know, Hales. You deserve to be happy. And if Nathan makes you happy, then I'm all for you two. But I would strongly advise that you stay away from each other until you're actually divorced."

"Thank you." I laid my head on her shoulder as she put her arm around me and it reminded me of how much I needed my family. "I love you, Viv."

"I love you too, Hales." We sat in silence for a while to the point where I thought I might have fallen asleep before she spoke again. "Why didn't you ever tell me? About Damien? I would have helped."

I couldn't look at her when I answered, I never could. "I was embarrassed at first. I thought it was my fault and that I was weak. Then it got to the point where I was just too scared. I never knew what would set him off. It would always get really bad though when family was involved. He'd get so mad when I wanted to hang out with Quinn. I didn't have a way out of it."

"Then how did you get out?"

I sat up, feeling less embarrassed and able to look her in the eyes. "Nathan. I went to the hospital one time and he was there. He automatically became like an overprotective brother the first time he saw me hurt. Another time, I was just wandering the streets beaten up and I ran into him at his house."

"How did you know where he lived?"

"I didn't. He lives in the neighborhood. The next time that it got bad, I needed to get away, so I just walked to his house and he took me in."

"So you've been there that long?"

"No. Didn't I tell you all of this earlier?"

"Yeah, but you didn't really explain that Nathan had saved you from him."

"He did."

"Then in case it wasn't clear before. I definitely approve of him."


	26. Chapter 26

**So, I've started another story called "Summer League", check it out! It's Naley too, of course!**

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_A few months later..._

"That was brutal," I grumbled as I walked out of the courtroom from Damien's battery trial. "Why is my character on trial? I'm the victim here."

"They're just trying to make it seem deserved," Mike tried to explain.

"In what way could any of that be deserved?" Vivian asked, sticking up for me.

"It's not, which is why they have no case. This'll be over soon and then we can get on to the actual divorce proceedings."

"How long will that take?"

"It depends on how this goes."

"And how is it going?" I asked, unsure of what the jury must be thinking.

"It's good. Honestly though, it doesn't help that you never reported it before."

"Yeah, but they have hospital reports. Doesn't that count for something?"

"It does, Haley. Believe me, I know it takes a lot of strength to ask for help."

Right. I'm sure Mike knows exactly 'what it takes'. Exactly what it feels like. I'm sure he 'understands' what it's like to go through a trial like this. We reached the courthouse steps and I'm brought out of my 'understanding' thoughts about lawyer Mike when the sun nearly blinds me. It amazes me how moments ago I was crying in a such a desolate courtroom and now I'm standing out in the bright sun on a beautiful day. As I look down, my ever-constant frown that I carry in court turns to a schoolgirl smile as I see Nathan waiting at the bottom of the steps for me.

"How'd it go?" he asked as we reached him.

"Really good," Vivian said as she grabbed his arm, intertwining it with her own.

"For some reason I don't believe that," he says as he tries to sneak a look at me.

I kept my eyes looking away from him knowing that it would be bad if Damien's lawyers saw us together. "It was fine. We better go." I climbed into the back of the car and looked back at Nathan who was still standing on the sidewalk. I rolled down my window, realizing I had forgotten to tell him where it was that we had to go, "My house," I told him as we drove off.

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I seriously hate court. Why? Not only does it suck balls, but I also have to dress up. And not cute dress up either. Business lady dress up. Pretty much the second I get to my room I throw off all of my clothes, especially the shoes and long skirt, and just faceplant on my bed. About the moment that I start getting incredibly comfortable I realize that I need a new bed. While this is possibly one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in, it also holds way too many memories.

I guess not enough bad memories that I can't fully conk out in less than five minutes though. When I opened my eyes again, I felt a great bit more warm. That was most likely because I was now fully covered. Not by a blanket, but by a Nathan. Which was much better if you ask me.

"Morning, sweetie," he whispered in my ear from above me.

I turned my head and smiled as his lips quickly found mine. "Morning," I whispered back. "Want to get off of me?" I asked him as I tried to turn around, but couldn't with his weight on top of me.

"No."

"No?"

"That's right. No. I like where I am right now."

"Do you like that I can't kiss you?" I teased right back. I could play this game too.

"Well, I guess I could let you turn around…" He finally lifted off of me, but just as he said, only enough so that I could turn around so that we were now face to face. "So where's that kiss?"

I took his face in my hands and gave him a chaste kiss. Well, as chaste as you can be with him. It was in that moment, as I just laid on my bed with his head in my hands that I felt I could just stare into his eyes forever and be happy. "I like you," I told him, as if it was something new.

He laughed for a moment before noticing how serious I was. He looked confused for a moment before talking again, "I like you too."

"No, I mean, I really like you. Like, a lot."

I was acting weird, and Nathan knew it. "Are you okay, Hales?"

Pushing Nathan off of me I sit up, suddenly realizing that I'm pretty much naked right now. I swear my heart is beating out of my chest as I try to find something to cover myself. Noticing how uncomfortable I feel, Nathan takes off his jacket and puts it over me. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I told him as I cried into my knees that were tucked up into my chest.

I could tell he was worried about me, more so than Damien had ever been. All I was doing was crying and he was worried. I would have broken bones and Damien wouldn't even flinch. Which just made me cry even more. He was rubbing my back, trying to calm me down, but it seemed that nothing would work. My mind was racing and I didn't know why.

That's not true, I knew exactly why. I liked Nathan. A lot. Just as I said. And it scared me. A lot. I wasn't used to being treated like a princess. I wasn't used to getting a smile on my face just because someone is waiting for me, to make sure I'm okay. Because he cares. And now, I'm going to sabotage it all.

"Haley, can you talk to me?"

"I like you, Nathan."

"And I like you too. But you already knew that. That doesn't really explain why you're crying. I hate seeing you cry."

"I can't rely on you."

"Yes, you can. I will be there for you. Whatever you need."

"That's not what I meant. I know I can depend on you. You've already proven that. Plenty of times. But I can't let myself need you. Today was just horrible. But the second I saw you, it all faded away. And whatever stress or worry that was left disappeared when you kissed me."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It would be. if I wasn't just coming out of the marriage I am, it would be perfect. But I am, and it's not."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Say you understand."

"As much as I wish I didn't, I do. So what does that mean for us?"


	27. Chapter 27

"So what does that mean for us?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Are you breaking up with me before we're even together?"

I shook my head vehemently, which at least made him smile. And of course, his smile made me smile. This couldn't be good. As my reason for being upset in the first place once again reared its ugly head.

"I love your smile," he said automatically before realizing that it wasn't the right time to say that. "Is that okay?"

"No," I nearly moaned, trying to not cry. "Nathan. We can't use the word love, okay? It's too soon for that."

"Why? The moment I saw you at the hospital nine months ago, all of the feelings that I had for you in high school came flooding back..."

"Nathan, you must not be remembering correctly," I interrupted him. "The second you saw me, you didn't know it was me." I knew this because of course I remembered him, but I was just Mrs. West to him.

"I recognized you. I was just playing it cool. Didn't want to seem like a pathetic loser. Especially since you were married."

"I still am married."

"It's been six months since you stayed with me the first time and we've been unofficially together for three months. That's long enough to know that I really, really like you… like, a lot."

I hid my face in his shoulder as I let out a laugh. Leave it to Nathan to make me blush when he's using my own words. "That doesn't make me divorced."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't change how I feel."

"Nathan…"

"No, I'm sorry, Haley, but I hide my feelings enough. I hate having to act like we're not even friends in public. And I hate not being able to be intimate with you. But the fact is that I love you."

Wow. What the hell am I supposed to say to that? I couldn't say it back. Even if there was a possibility that I did. I just couldn't go there. I could barely breath. Nathan was perfect. His words were perfect. I knew mine wouldn't be though and I hated it. "Nathan…"

"It's okay. You don't have to say it back. I just… I couldn't keep it in anymore. I know this isn't the greatest of times, but it's a little better than blurting it out between kisses like I've been wanting to."

"I'm sorry. I just can't go there. Not now. Maybe not ever."

"Don't say that. It doesn't have to be now, but you can't say never."

"I don't know how to make you understand this, Nathan. You just don't know what I've been through. I've been lied to, I've been cheated on, I've been beaten. My heart is literally in shambles. I don't know how to love, or even how to be loved. I wish that I could give you what you deserve, but I just can't do that. You don't know how sorry I am."

"That's the thing, Hales. I do know what it's like. I grew up with an abusive father. He didn't beat me to near death, but he killed me on the inside. He hit me for years before I was finally able to fight back. And when he could no longer hit me, he took it out twice as hard on my mom. So, I get it. I know how you feel."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Nobody does."

"So, you became a cop to save people like me?" Great. I'm just some psychological save me, and he really saves his mom case.

"No, not people like you. You."

"Wow. You are still the same line-slinging player you were in high school."

"What? Where is that coming from?"

"That is just such a line, Nathan. There is no way you became a cop to save me. That's just stupid."

"Sure, I didn't know that we would end up here, right now. But I believe everything happens for a reason. I never knew why, but there was a reason I didn't go pro and it has to be you. I would never have had this chance if I hadn't become a cop. There is a reason I was at the hospital that night. And there is a reason that you showed up at my house. That we live in the same neighborhood, so close together."

"So what's the reason for me being abused. For me losing children?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's so that you will know real love. So that you will never take for granted how beautiful and healing it can be. Maybe you miscarried because the child would have grown up in a bad home. If you had a child, it would be so much harder for you to get away from Damien. I can't answer all your questions, because honestly, I don't know. I wish I knew, but I don't. I love you. I don't know the reasons as to how I got you, but I know that I'm not letting go."

"Even if I don't love you back?"

"You mean if you can't say it back?" he tried to correct me.

"No. If I don't love you back."

"You do. Even if you don't know it yet. I can see it when you look at me. And I can feel it when you kiss me. I know you're scared and so you can't go there. I accept that. You keep fighting it and that just proves to me that you have deeper feelings than you are willing to admit."

"I'm hungry."

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

"As in this conversation is over?"

I nodded my head and smiled, "Exactly. I'm going to put on some clothes and then I'll be downstairs, okay?"

"Okay." He pressed a kiss to my forehead before walking out. There is no way I deserve such an understanding guy like him.


	28. Chapter 28

"Well, it took you long enough," Viv said when I finally came into the kitchen for dinner. "I thought you were just going to change clothes. And that was two hours ago."

"I fell asleep."

"So that's why you look like shit."

"Thanks, Viv. I knew there was a reason I was letting you stay with me."

"Keep your sarcasm to yourself little lady. If you don't remember, I am providing you with excellent council for free."

"You're right. I'll keep Mike, but you can go stay with Mom."

"Oh how you love to tease," Vivian said as she squeezed my cheeks. Seriously, no matter how old I get, they still find it fun to squeeze my cheeks. It's not like I'm a chubby kid. I just don't get it.

"Have you still not gone home yet?"

"I have no interest in seeing the adulterous hooker that is staying there."

"Really? I'm the one who's husband she slept with and you're refusing to see her?"

"I'm just letting it be known what side I'm on."

"There aren't sides."

"Oh yes there are honey. You're just lucky I'm on yours. We should probably try to mend fences a bit though. We need to get that little bitch to testify."

I don't think words can describe how much I love Vivian. The simplest of things she says can make me laugh. Even at the most inopportune times. Funerals are the worst. I can never sit next to her. If I do, I'm in stitches the whole time. It was good to have her home right now. I need all the comic relief I can get.

"What the hell is this?" I asked, looking at the strange consistency of food that was in front of me.

"It's maize."

"Which is?"

"Corn."

"Oh. So that's what the chunk is. I'm not eating this. It looks like Charlie threw up."

"You are such a bitch."

"You're such a horrible cook. No wonder you're ten years older than me and still not married."

"Right, because your marriage turned out so good."

"Bitch!"

"I love you," she said with a smile. God, that bitch's smile even gets me. I'm pretty sure if Taylor had just said that, I would have kicked her ass, but Vivian says it and I laugh.

"Don't worry, Hales. I ordered us Chinese," Nathan said from his seat at the table.

Walking past Vivian, I went straight to the table, grabbing Nathan and pulling him behind me as I walked outside. "Why did you do that?" I asked him.

"Because I saw what Viv was making and I knew you wouldn't like it. Are you mad?"

Was I mad? No. I was frustrated. Dammit. This man standing in front of me knew me better than my own sister. Or maybe he just cared more about what I ate than my sister. Either way, it wasn't good. Or it was really good. I wasn't quite sure and it was driving me crazy.

"Hales?"

"No, I'm not mad. Just… my head is spinning."

"Why is your head spinning?" he asked. I could see in his eyes that what he had told me earlier was true. He did love me.

"I feel it too," I blurted out.

"You feel what?" I wasn't sure if he really didn't know what I was talking about or if he just wanted me to say it myself. I didn't think I could answer him though. I felt like saying anything else would be traitorous. I don't even know why.

"What you were talking about. In my room."

"You can't say it, can you?"

"I feel it though. I do. Can't that be enough?" Seriously, I'm crying again? What the hell is wrong with me? Is it really this difficult to tell someone how you feel?

"Of course it's enough," he said before grabbing my face and kissing the hell out of me. I guess he was trying to prove just how okay it was. Not that it really mattered. I was a goner the second he said it again, "I love you."

"I love you too." Okay, that was unexpected. Even though it came from my mouth, I couldn't believe it. I'm not sure if I had ever felt like this before. Caring so much for someone that you just blurted it out. Sure, I had felt like that during sex before, but I'm pretty sure that was just the endorphins talking.

"You said it."

"I guess I did," I said as I smiled back at him. Although kissing him is great, I just wanted to be in his arms right now. I leaned forward and rested my head on his chest and my smile grew as he wrapped his arms around me. It felt like he would never let go and I didn't want him to.

"I didn't see that," came a man's voice from the doorway. "I didn't see that. I didn't see that. I didn't see that." Mike just kept repeating it, over and over. "You are just friends. Nothing more. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends." I could swear this man was going crazy. He had his back turned to us, but kept talking to himself.

"Are you okay?" I finally asked.

"No. And neither are you. Your dinner is here. And we need to talk."


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My three month old has been sick, so I haven't been able to write much. It's not even a thousand words, but it was all I could write at the moment. I hope you like it.**

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"So, you'll never guess what just happened," I heard Mike saying as Nathan and I walked into the kitchen. "I was just honored with the privilege of hearing these two profess their love for each other. Isn't that grand?" Surprisingly enough, with all my years in the James house, I had never heard such sarcasm before.

"We weren't professing our love," I assured him.

"You better not lie like that on the stand. I heard you say I love you to each other."

"Yeah, because he's my best friend. He's helped me through all of this bullshit without ever asking for anything in return. I wouldn't have made it through this without him. So, yes, I love him. I'm pretty sure if I was _in_ love with him, you would have seen us making out, but you didn't. He was giving me a hug, because we are friends. I don't get why people can't understand that!"

"Because a single guy and a single girl cannot just be friends. And I see the way that boy looks at you!" Mike was screaming by now, obviously pissed at both of us. Honestly, I didn't know what to do. Mike was right, Nathan looked at me different than anybody else. Not even my husband looks at me that way and I knew Mike could tell the difference. "Maybe if that boy even looked at another hot girl that walked by, I'd believe things were purely platonic, but he doesn't. Not even the juror with fake boobs! It's ridiculous."

Mike's arms were flailing and I could tell that he was getting angrier by the second as he thought about everything more. I was getting just as angry myself as he continually called Nathan 'that boy'. "For the record, that boy has a name. It's Nathan. Hopefully you know that though, considering he's the main witness on the case other than me."

"I know his name. I don't know why you're getting so upset about me not using it though. No, wait, I do. It's because you love him, right?"

"Mike!" Vivian screamed as she tried to break up our shouting match. "Lay off. She's been through enough. She doesn't need her lawyer turning on her too." Thank you very much, favorite sister ever.

"I'm not turning on her. She just needs to be more careful. I don't need to see them together. I can go for your story for now. It is plausible, although highly improbable. If I see anything funny going on between you two again, I won't be able to deny a relationship or allow you to testify against one." I kind of wanted to laugh at how quickly Mike turned around from being insanely angry, to pretty docile. He is definitely whipped and it made me proud of my sister. She knew how to work a guy over and it generally worked out well for me. Just like right now.

"I have no problem with that. There is nothing going on between us."

"Maybe you should get going, Nathan," Vivian suggested.

Nathan looked at me before making a move. It amazed me how considerate he always is. It probably shouldn't baffle me as much as it does, but I guess I'm just not used to it. I nodded my head in consent before offering to walk him out.

"You seemed pretty convincing," Nathan noted once we were outside.

"Was not almost everything I said true?"

"About us being completely platonic?"

"No. I mean about you being my best friend. Isn't that what a relationship is really about? Isn't the person you love supposed to be your best friend? The one person that you can tell everything to without judgment. The one person in the world that you know you can always rely on. I just don't know how I could be that person for you. I've never had to prove anything to you."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Hales. Just letting me in has been enough. Mike was right though. We need to be more discrete. Especially since I'm testifying tomorrow."

"So don't look at me like you always do," I joked as I pushed my finger against his chest.

"I can't help it," he whined back.

I looked at the gorgeous man in front of me and couldn't help but laugh. I never would have thought a grown man could look so adorable with his bottom lip stuck out like a baby. I should have known by now that Nathan defies anything normal. I quickly gave him a hug before either my mind or body decided I wanted more. For all we knew, Mike could still be watching us and my lips attacking Nathan's wouldn't really be good for my case.

"I'll see you in the morning," I whispered into his chest. He kissed the top of my head and I swear I just melted. The simplest of gestures from him seemed to do that to me. Oh man, I really was gone for this guy.


	30. Chapter 30

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated anything, life has been too hectic to worry about writing. This chapter leaves you hanging a bit, but don't worry, it will come to a conclusion in a few days.**

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Nathan was amazing. Seriously, I have never seen someone keep their cool on the stand so well. Not to say that Jake didn't do well himself, but Nathan was calm enough to keep the death threats to a minimum. I really do need to have a talk with Jake about his anger. I don't remember him being so violent in high school. But then again, in high school, no one was hurting me. Which thinking back, might be why no one ever asked me out. Other than Damien, of course. Jake would probably have killed anyone who hurt me. I guess Nathan isn't too afraid of Jake anymore.

It's so weird to think that they are best friends now. Even weirder to think Nathan Scott is my boyfriend. Well, I guess he's my boyfriend. I don't technically know. But I do know he loves me. Weird. Good though. I don't even know. My mind is just spinning in circles thinking about it. It all seems so weird. I mean, really, just imagine it was your life and the hottest guy in town liked you. No, loved you. See? I told you it was weird.

I shouldn't be left alone like I am right now. I've been sitting in my room for an hour and my mind has not stopped wandering. Maybe there's a reason I stayed with Damien so long…

"Knock, knock," came a deep voice from the other side of my door. "May I come in?"

"Since when have you asked permission?" I asked as I laughed comfortably seeing my best friend's face appear. I watched as Jake ran towards me and did a cannonball on my bed. "Bloody Hell, Jake!"

Jake couldn't stop laughing and I had no idea what was so funny. Thankfully, he cleared it up for me quickly. "Bloody hell?"

"What?" Okay, maybe I get why he's laughing. I'm screaming bloody hell in North Carolina, not exactly patriotic.

"Have you been watching Harry Potter lately?"

"Maybe…"

"You totally have! You've turned into a Brit!"

"Shut up! You know I can't help talking like them when I watch those movies."

"Yeah, I know, babe. But you're 25, isn't it time for you to grow out of that?"

"Absolutely not and I am appalled that you could ever say such a thing. I love Harry and I always will!"

"Quit talking with a British accent!"

"Then quit talking about Harry! I can't say Harry without an accent. It just can't happen! Now quit poking fun at me and tell me why you're here!"

"Poking fun?"

"Shut up!" I shouted before kicking him off the bed.

From the ground Jake sent me an evil smile and I knew tonight was not going to be pleasant. "I don't get how you beat the shit out of me, yet somehow Damien has come out of this all unscathed."

What I'd like to know right now is how is this so funny? Why is he smiling? Trying to keep my face calm, I stared the douche on the floor straight in the eye and said, "Because you won't hit me back." What I said was simple and pretty much lacked all emotion which did a wonderful job of silencing Jake.

"I get it. I'm an asshole."

"Exactly," I smiled back.

"That's not why I'm here though," he said as he got off the ground and climbed onto my bed. "Damn, this is comfortable."

"Yeah, you want it?"

"What?"

"Do you want it? I've got to get rid of it. I've got to get rid of everything. How do I do that? Can I do that? I want to do that."

"Woah, Hales. First, let's calm down. Take a deep breath…"

"Stop mocking me…"

"I'm not, sweetie, I promise. Look, Toots, we've got to get going."

Jake grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room and down the stairs. "You have seriously got to quit spending so much time with Quinn. You know James girls are the only ones who can say 'toots' and not sound like a complete tool."

"It's true," I heard Viv scream from across the house. "Be back by midnight," she added as Jake slammed the door behind us.

"What the heck? Is she my mother now?"

"Hasn't she always been?" Jake laughed. He was right too. Vivian always saved me when I was in trouble, like a real mama bear.

"Where are we going, anyways? Please tell me you're not trying a sister intervention…"

"Just shut up and get in," he told me as he threw me in the back of his squad car and locked me in.

This could not be good…


	31. Chapter 31

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked Jake as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Calm down, short stuff."

"Calm down? Are you serious? I'm in the back of a cop car! How can you ask me to calm down?"

"It's not like you're under arrest. I could cuff you if you want though."

"You're such a perv."

"Thank you. Now pipe down."

I watched the streets we passed and soon realized that we were going to Quinn's. "I'm tired, Jake and I seriously don't feel like talking to her right now."

"Okay," was all he said back, yet he continued on towards her house.

We pulled into her driveway and I simply groaned. Jake got out and opened the door for me, but I didn't want out of the car as much as I had earlier. I just gave him a look to tell him that I wasn't going in and he laughed. "What is so funny?"

"She's not here. Stop being a baby."

Okay, now I'm confused. Why the hell was he bringing me here if Quinn wasn't here… The front door opened and I watched as Charlie scampered out of the house and right to me. I was quickly greeted by his tongue on my face and I couldn't help but smile knowing that he missed me. The trial had been crazy lately so my mom was taking care of him since I was never home. Seeing him now though, I knew he had to come back home with me.

I jumped up and threw my arms around Jake, "Thank you. This was exactly what I needed."

"Don't thank me, thank him."

I looked back to the door that Charlie had ran from and for the first time noticed a devastatingly handsome man. My devastatingly handsome man. No longer was I confused. I was now beyond confused. "What is he doing here?" I asked, more to myself than to Jake.

"Why don't you go find out."

I cautiously walked to the front door. I had no idea what was going on. When I turned around, Jake was gone. I turned back around and Nathan was right in front of me. "Hi."

"Hi," he grinned back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ehh, you know, I was just in the neighborhood," he said nonchalantly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was told to ask you."

"Oh right!" He had this look on his face as if he had just discovered the new land. If it was anybody else, I probably would have been annoyed, but when he did it, I could just melt into goo. I couldn't let him know that though, so I put on an annoyed face. "You're so cute when you're annoyed."

"Don't call me cute. Never call a girl cute."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be cute. Babies are cute, puppies are cute. You don't want to fuck babies or puppies do you?" By the appalled look I got, I could tell my point was getting across. "So if I look soooooo cute, then you obviously wouldn't want to fuck me either."

"Wow…" Okay, maybe that was a bit over the top. And definitely not something I would usually say, but I am confused and out of my element. For some reason my boyfriend? No, my significant other is standing at the house of my sister, who I am not talking to at the moment, where my dog happens to be. I really just want to know what the hell is going on.

"So… what would you like to be called?"

"You know… hot, sexy, gorgeous, any of those work just fine. I know girls may pretend like it's offensive to be called hot and say that they are better than that, but honestly, girls love being called hot. It does wonders for your self-esteem to know that someone, anyone, thinks of you in that way."

He slowly moved closer to me and put his hands on my hips, "What about… beautiful, stunning, perfect…"

Damn he's good.

"How about we go inside," I offered, sensing that he was milliseconds away from kissing me, which could not happen in my sister's front yard. It seemed the words weren't even out of my mouth before Nathan grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. I made sure Charlie followed us in before closing the door behind me.

"Oh. My. God."

When I turned around I saw a mixture of red and white rose petals covering the ground, but Nathan was gone. "Nathan?"

"Follow the yellow brick road!" he called.

"How did you… When…"

"I had some help. I don't hear you moving."

How did I not notice I wasn't moving? Oh yeah, because I don't know where all of this has come from. I hate being confused. I don't know why, but it's just a feeling I get. I like knowing what's going on, if I don't, I feel like I'm failing. It reminds me of being in high school and of course the one night I don't do the reading (Damien's fault of course) we have a pop quiz the next morning. A horrible feeling. Especially when the guy you're in competition for valedictorian with obviously knows every answer. You feel all your dreams flying out the window… Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the point.

"Where's Quinn?" I asked, finally following the path made by the petals.

"At Jake's. We have the whole place to ourselves. She helped set this up before she left. Hoping it would count as penance."

When the flowers ended I was in the kitchen where Nathan was lighting candles for a romantic dinner.

"When did you get the time to do all of this?"

"I told you… Quinn."

"So you had nothing to do with this?"

"No, I had everything to do with this. Minus the food. She was just kind enough to help me. I just figured that we deserved some alone time. Without Mike or Clay standing over our shoulders."

No duh! It seemed like we hadn't had a second alone since we met. Okay, maybe that wasn't true. We've had a lot of time alone together, but there was always the threat of someone else walking in at inopportune moments.

"You like it?" he asked, as if he was unsure. Seriously, who wouldn't like it?

"I love it." I couldn't help the massive grin that covered my face. This was just all so amazing.

"And I love you," he said as he leaned down and kissed me.

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**This will be continued, but not for a few more days, I thought I'd at least give you a little snippet of what is to come.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks guys for sticking with me during my brain freeze. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter**

"Seriously, this is amazing," I said for possibly the hundredth time since we had sat down to eat.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I do. It's perfect."

"So, do you think that you might end this freeze out between sisters?"

"Nathan… You know how I feel about that. If I had known all those years ago, I never would have had to gone through all of this."

"And… we might never have been together."

"So those were lies you told me about wanting to ask me out in high school?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at me, but I was unrelenting. "You know I wouldn't lie to you. To be honest, you wouldn't have liked the guy I was back then. I couldn't have given you all that I can give you now."

I did know that he wouldn't lie to me, but I also had a hard time believing that big shot Nathan Scott would ever have taken a second glance at bookworm Haley James.

"I get you being mad at Taylor, she deserves it, but Quinn was just trying to protect you. She didn't know what was happening with Damien, so you can't blame her for that."

"So it's my fault that I didn't tell her he was beating me?"

"No! Not that at all. I'm just saying… I don't know what I'm saying. Just… you two were close and I hate to see you lose that."

"Fine. I'll talk to her. But not today. Can we just enjoy our time together?" I snapped, hoping to end the conversation.

"Don't be pissed at me."

"I'm not pissed at you."

"Well, you seem awful annoyed."

"There's a difference between pissed and annoyed."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"Okay!" I cut him off. Can we just get over this already? I'm seriously getting more aggravated by the second.

"I love you."

What a bitch. How am I supposed to respond to that bitterly? You can't, it's impossible. So I just roll my eyes and sigh, "I love you too."

"So, now that that's over with, how about we get to the next part of the surprise?" Ugh. Really. What a smug son of a bitch. He thinks he just won the fight. Wait. Did he say there's another surprise?

"There's more?"

"There's a lot more. Now close your eyes."

I did as asked and closed my eyes. I heard him open the fridge and I couldn't help but wonder what amazing food was next.

"You can open them now," he said. I opened my eyes and I could tell he was holding something behind his back, which was weird. Why didn't he just have it out? I mean, I was going to get it in a second anyways. "I'll be back in a minute. Wait here," he told me. Boo. Maybe I wasn't going to get it now.

I decided now was as good a time as any to do the dishes, so I picked up our plates and took them to the sink. It seemed as soon as I was there, Nathan was back though.

"No way are you doing dishes tonight," he whispered in my ear as he sneaked up behind me. "Come with me," he said as he grabbed my hand and led me upstairs.

"Are you planning on getting some tonight?" I wondered aloud. I still wasn't too comfortable thinking about that since I was technically still married, but honestly, with a guy like this, how am I supposed to hold out?

He turned around to look at me with a huge smile on his face, "I'm planning on getting you relaxed. You are way too stressed."

He led me into Quinn's bedroom and I was surprised to find no lit candles or anything seemingly romantic near the bed. He could tell that I was confused, so he just continued to pull me along to the bathroom. I was soon greeted by the aroma of some amazing bubble bath and steaming water coming from the faucet of Quinn's jacuzzi.

"Wow."

"You keep saying that tonight."

"That's because everything is… wow."

"You're cute."

"What have I told you about that word?"

"Okay… take off those clothes and you will be sexy."

"I should be sexy with clothes on."

He came in close to me wrapping his arms around my waist. "Oh, you definitely are babe," he whispered in my ear before kissing down my neck. He was definitely a quick learner. Showing can definitely be better than saying sometimes. Who am I kidding? Showing how much he wants me is always better than just words.

He turned off the water and checked the temperature one last time before signaling for me to get in. The simple things like that are what make me love him.

"Aren't you going to join me?" I asked as he walked over to the sink.

"Nope. This is your time." He walked back to me and for the first time I noticed the chocolate covered strawberries he was carrying in a bowl. My mouth immediately began watering at the sight. "Someone has to do the dishes. Besides, that's not what tonight is about. At least not yet," he added with a wink before leaving me alone to my hot bath and strawberries. This might just be what heaven is like.

* * *

"Are you decent?" he asked as he knocked on the door.

I couldn't help but laugh. "After ogling me as I got in, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter whether I'm wearing clothes or not."

"True," he grinned as he peaked his head through the door.

"That smirk must get you into a lot of trouble."

"Only with you."

"Smooth. So, what's next?" I asked, excited to know what else he had in store for the night.

"What makes you think there's more?"

"Ummm, you said there was more downstairs."

"Okay. You caught me, but you have to be dry for your next surprise."

"You mean I have to get out?" I groaned. This bath was thoroughly comfortable.

"It will definitely be worth it. It's the best surprise of the night. Honestly, I don't know how I saved it til the end."

Thinking about it, maybe the water was getting a little cold, but what could be better than everything he already did tonight? And why did I need to be dry? Should I be worried?

I think he could tell that I was contemplating everything in my head, so he grabbed a towel and pulled me out of the tub, so I couldn't mull it all over. "It's on the bed," he told me with a smile.

"It better not be condoms," I joked as I left him alone in the bathroom. When I opened the door I saw a simple manila envelop on the bed.

"Open it."

I walked to the bed and examined the envelop for a second before I actually got the nerve to open it. I turned around so I could see Nathan's smiling face and I knew it had to be good. Looking inside all I saw were papers. I gave him a questioning look. What exactly could be so great about paper?

"Will you just look at it?"

I did as he instructed and the second I read what was in my hands, I quit breathing. This couldn't be real. Could it?

"It's real," Nathan said, as if he could read my mind.

"How did you…"

"Mike. He's actually a pretty decent guy. He thought you'd rather it come from someone you love. Someone who loves you."

"I can't believe it."

"I know," he said as he rushed over to me. "It's amazing. We can finally be together. For real. In public. For the whole world to know. I feel like shouting it from the rooftops."

"When did it happened?" I asked, wondering the details of it all.

"Just this afternoon…" he paused for a moment as he just stared at me. "Are you not happy about this?"

"No… I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. You just don't seem very excited about it."

"I'm just shocked. I mean, it's a big deal. I'm officially divorced."


	33. Chapter 33

"I'm just shocked. I mean, it's a big deal. I'm officially divorced." I sat down on the bed and started looking through everything in the envelope. A few minutes passed before I heard Nathan clear his throat. I was so consumed in what was in front of me, I had forgotten he was even there. "What?"

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this isn't exactly the reaction I expected."

"I guess not," I sighed, fully aware of my less than loving state. There are just so many things going through my mind right now. I'm not sure what I can voice and what I can't.

"Can you tell me what you're thinking?"

"I don't know," I lied.

"Yes you do," he said with a smile as he sat next to me on the bed and held my hand. "Talk to me. Please."

"You know I love you, right?"

"I do. That's a horrible way to start a conversation though. Unless of course you're planning on breaking up with me."

"No no no no, I'm not doing that. I just. Nevermind."

"No nevermind. Talk to me."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to block out any bad thoughts, or thoughts that might just be considered bad by Nathan. I took another deep breath and began to worry that I might hyperventilate if I couldn't calm down soon. I needed to calm down now and the only way I knew how was to be in the arms of the boy I'm sure I am completely freaking out right now. I started to stand up and Nathan pulled me right back into his lap, refusing to let go of me. I smiled a bit as I rest my head against his strong chest. He held onto me tight and my smile only grew. "I wasn't trying to run away," I whispered. "I was just trying to get closer to you."

"Well, it looks like our minds were thinking the same thing. Are you okay? You're worrying me a bit."

"I was thinking about my marriage," I told him, finally able to open up. "I loved Damien too. He was a great husband at times. Obviously he was also a horrible husband at times. It's good that my marriage is over, but it's scary to give myself to someone fully again. Because of what I went through the first time. I'm just afraid of getting hurt again. And I know that we are so much further in our relationship than that, but this makes it so real, you know? And it's weird to feel so safe in your arms, in anyone's arms, but I do and I hope that feeling never goes away."

"I can't promise you that I will never hurt you. It's inevitable, everyone hurts everyone's feelings at some point. But I swear to you, I will never raise a hand to you. I will never hurt you like he did."

"I know. I trust you. And I am happy about this. I just needed to work through it in my head for a minute. Sorry I freaked you out. I love you and I'm really happy that we can really be together now, without all the lies." I added a big cheesy smile just to show him how truly happy I was.

"That's so fake," he said, pointing to my lips, which immediately turned it into a real smile. "There's that smile I fell in love with," he added before kissing me.

When I finally pulled away, I held his face in my hands and just smiled as I looked into his loving eyes. I shook my head and laughed a little when I thought about the situation. "Could you ever have imagined that we'd end up here in high school?"

"Here? No. Together? Yes. Only in my dreams I was a professional basketball player and you were my supermodel wife."

What a laugh. "Me? A supermodel? You must be thinking of your other girlfriend, Brooke."

"You mean the nurse? Hell no. I mean the incredibly sexy woman in my lap."

"You know, we've never really talked about that…"

"About Brooke? I told you it wasn't a real epic romance."

"No, not Brooke. About basketball. I guess we've always been focused on my drama so I've never really had the chance to ask you about yours."

"I thought you knew. I figured Damien would have had a party when I blew my knee out."

"We didn't really talk much about basketball. I mean, he loved it, it was his life, just like it was yours, but when he didn't get drafted it just became a sore subject. I guess I saw pictures of your knee, but I figured everyone tears their knee up at some point."

"You guess you saw pictures?"

Okay, I totally hate to admit it, but I definitely saw pictures. When it first happened, it was all Damien could talk about and I couldn't help but be curious and research it more. "Okay, yes, I saw pictures."

"You stalker…"

"You subject-avoider…"

"You so just made up a word, Miss Perfect Grammar… I can't believe it… Okay, maybe I am a subject-avoider. If you saw pictures, you must not have seen THE picture. The one where my knee goes entirely backwards. Most people are surprised I can even walk."

"So then how are you a cop? You have to be able to run and climb obstacles and such to be a cop, don't you?"

"Excessive rehab. I refused to give up. I may never be able to play the game I love again, but I can't lose myself completely. If I became a sloth, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

I smiled as I noticed the perfect opportunity present itself. "Well, I know a way to keep you from becoming a sloth." I felt butterflies in my stomach just saying that. I can't help but think of how much of a nerd I am.

"What?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, feeling a bit deflated.

"What?" Obviously, this boy is oblivious.

"Hmmm… let's see. What exactly could I do to get your heart racing?"

"Oh!" he pretty much shouted. "Dear God, I wasn't even thinking…"

Hearing those words was like a shot to the heart. I quickly got out of his lap and began pacing back and forth, feeling completely embarrassed. "I'm sorry… I just assumed… I'm such an idiot…" I tried to hold back the tears, not wanting to seem like a complete baby. But honestly, I thought that's kind of what tonight was about. The perfect night. Until now.

"You're not an idiot," he told me as he rushed to me, taking my shaking hands in his. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Is that not what tonight was about?"

"Absolutely not. Tonight was about you. Making you happy. Making you feel like the queen you should be treated as. It was about showing you just how much I love you."

I think my heart skipped a beat. "Well, mission accomplished then."

"Now, about that heart racing…" He raised his eyebrows suggestively and I couldn't help but laugh which was quickly cut off when he pulled me closer to him and kissed me.

"Mmmm… that's more like it," I whispered against his lips.

I stepped away from him and he looked at me confused. I started walking to the bed and took off my shirt as I walked. His next look was one filled with lust.

He just stood there while looking me up and down. "You are absolutely gorgeous," he said as he ripped off his own shirt as he rushed to the bed, picking me up effortlessly by the waist and placing me on the bed as he pretty much devoured me.

When he stopped suddenly, I got worried. "What's wrong?"

He rested his head on my shoulder for a moment and I could hear him breathing heavily. For what seemed like an eternity he was silent. Once he had his breath under control he spoke. "I want you so much right now."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay with this. And that this is what you really want."

"Nathan, I'm the one who suggested it."

"I know, but this is a big deal. You've only been with one person. And you were married to him."

"Yeah, and he hurt me. But I know you won't. I love you and I want to do this. If you don't, I guess I understand."

Nathan let out a laugh and rubbed himself against me, "If you hadn't noticed, I definitely want to do this."

His laugh made me laugh and I felt insanely comfortable. It was a completely unfamiliar feeling. My first time with Damien I had been insanely self-conscious. To be honest, the last time I was with him I was too. I was always worried that I wasn't beautiful enough. That without my clothes all of my flaws could be seen. And I guess they can. But as I lay shirtless on my sister's bed, I don't feel a bit concerned. I knew I was wanted and I was loved and adored. "It's never been like this," I whispered mainly to myself.

"Like what?"

"Comfortable. Safe. I feel like there's no pressure at all."

Nathan just kept smiling at me and gently placed a stray hair behind my ear. "That's how it should be. Are you nervous?"

"Surprisingly, no."

I felt the butterflies return when he began rubbing his hand up and down my side and once again started looking me up and down. "Good, because I cannot wait a moment longer with your sexy ass body laying underneath mine."

I started to laugh but it was instantly cut off by Nathan's lips. It wasn't long before I simply lost myself in it all.


	34. Chapter 34

**So, my heart was breaking with this story. I went a week after writing this with only 2 reviews sent to me and I was seriously upset, until I woke up a few days ago and they all finally arrived, so I figured everyone had hated it and I totally lost inspiration for it. but it has been renewed, especially with all the uber nice reviews, so thanks so much and sorry I haven't updated. I'm working on 5 stories right now, so it's hard to get them all updated. Thanks for your patience!**

"Sleep… must… sleep," I groaned as I felt lips kissing up and down my spine.

I heard Nathan laugh before he climbed over me so that we were face-to-face. "Long night?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded my head against the pillow and was somehow able to smile even though I was insanely tired. Nathan began playing with my hair and I nearly fell back asleep. "You're gorgeous," he said before kissing me.

I opened my eyes and my smile brightened. How the hell did I get so lucky to find someone who will tell me everyday that I'm beautiful? I looked at the god-like form in front of me and couldn't help but rub my hands up and down his stomach. "I didn't think it was possible, but your abs are even sexier now that they were in high school."

"You looked at my abs in high school?"

"How could I not? You were a god."

"Was?"

"You are such a cocky son of a bitch."

"Maybe, but you love me."

"Lord help me… I do."

"And I love you." he once again kissed me and I just melted. All of a sudden his hands just couldn't get enough of me.

"Nathan…"

"What? I just want to show you exactly how much I love you."

"I don't think I can move, babe. You wore me out last night… and this morning."

"You don't have to move."

"Right. Because it is totally possible for me to just lay there when your incredibly hot body is grinding above me."

Nathan just gave me a kiss on the forehead and started to get out of bed. I grabbed his arm to stop him, confused at the sudden change of pace. "And just where do you think you're going?"

"To make you breakfast," he said, as if it was obvious.

"I don't think so mister. If I am waking up, it is not for breakfast.."

"But you just said…"

"You seriously think I'm going to turn you down?"

"Hales, if you're too tired, I don't want to pressure you."

I sat up and kissed him hard so he would know just how much I wanted him. And now. When I sat up, the sheets fell down, leaving me exposed to him and he was literally gawking at me. I cleared my throat to get his attention back to my face and he just grinned.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot how incredibly sexy my girlfriend is." Did you notice what I just noticed? I definitely noticed something and the giddy school girl in me gave away how happy it made me. "What's that smile for?"

"You just called me your girlfriend."

"I did. I think it sounds good."

I could feel my heart fluttering just thinking about it. "I think it sounds amazing," I said, before pulling him back in the bed and showing him just how good I thought it sounded.

* * *

"Hales?" I heard a familiar voice coming from the hall. I kept my eyes closed, hoping it would just go away and I could just go back to sleep. There was a knocking on the door and I just hid under the covers.

"I know you've always sucked at hide-and-seek, but right now I'm seriously wondering if you think I can't see you simply because there is a sheet over your face."

"I'm asleep."

"People don't talk when they're asleep, Hales. and I see you moving."

I pulled the bed sheet down to my neck so I could see her, "I'm not moving," I told her honestly.

"But I… eww, no, Hales. Nathan's under there too, isn't he?"

"Hey, Quinn," Nathan said as he peaked out of the covers.

"Y'all know it's three in the afternoon. As in, I am repulsed that you two have been in my bed for that long and now it's time for you to go to your own."

"I'm sorry," I giggled, completely not sorry.

"Whatever. You just better be glad I told Jake to stay downstairs. And Hales, you forgot to lock the door. What were you thinking? Charlie could have seen!"

"Haha. You're so funny. You know, just for that, I'm not washing your sheets."

"Hales. are you serious? It's common courtesy. That's… blegh."

"Don't worry, I'm kidding. Of course I'll wash your sheets. As long as you get the hell out of here so we can put on some clothes."

"Don't have to ask me twice. Just don't take too long, or I'll send Jake up here. You remember last time, Hales."

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. Really? I can't believe she just said that. Right when I was about to forgive her.

"What happened last time?" Nathan asked me with a confused look once Quinn had left the room.

_Flashback…_

"_Hales…" Jake called as he busted into the guest bedroom at Peyton's house._

_I try to grab sheets to cover myself, but it seems that my boyfriend writhing above me hasn't noticed that someone has entered the room. Either that, or he doesn't care. I can't quite tell at this point, but honestly, I have bigger things to worry about, like the boy who is quickly approaching the bed._

"_What the hell?" he screams as he stares at us. Definitely awkward. Especially since I am not 'that' girl. I am virgin girl. At least that's what my best friend thinks. And I'm definitely not the kind of girl who is into PDA, which considering someone is staring at us right now, this would constitute PDA. I think I'm going to vomit as I try to push Damien off of me, but he is quite determined to finish what he started._

"_Damien!" I screamed as I pushed harder against him._

"_Get the fuck off her man!" Jake yelled as he grabbed Damien by the neck and yanked him off of me also pulling away the sheets. As if it wasn't bad enough, now I'm buck naked for my best friend to see. Maybe if my best friend was a girl, it wouldn't be a big deal, but he's definitely guy. No girl could ever manhandle Damien like he just did. I scamper to grab Damien's shirt to hopefully cover me, but truthfully didn't do to good of a job._

"_I should yank off your fucking dick right now," he muttered before giving him a solid punch to the jaw. Jake grabbed Damien's boxers off the floor and pushed them into his chest as he pushed him out the door, completely naked._

_Jake slammed the door, but wouldn't even turn to look at me, which I guess was good since I wasn't wearing much. "Whatever happened to saving yourself for 'the one'?"_

"_Who says Damien isn't the one?" I say meekly, not quite sure if I even believe it's the truth._

_Jake slams his fist against the door before turning around to look at me. "I do, dammit. Anyone that has ever met that asshole knows he's not it for you! The way he treated you when I walked in here. He has no respect for you and you just let him get away with it."_

"_This is my life, Jake. Damien loves me and I love him. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't make love to him."_

"_You call that making love? That was Damien getting off. Except he wouldn't get off, even when you tried to push him off. I seriously would have ripped that guys dick off if I hadn't known it was covered in your… juices."_

"_Okay, eww. Can we not go there?"_

"_Why not? You went there. You said you wouldn't but you did. How could you?"_

"_It's my body. I can do what I want to with it."_

"_Apparently Damien can do what he wants with it too. You know, I came up here looking for you because Peyton said that all of a sudden, you ran off crying. She saw you come up here and I was worried about you. I was sure that Damien had once again made a douche bag move, upsetting you… again. And when I find you, you're fucking him. Or maybe he was just fucking you. I guess that's your new way of accepting his apologies. I thought you were better than that, but you are just like all the girls you hate. I'll leave you alone. I'm sure you're ready to spread your legs some more by now." With that, Jake left the room, slamming the door behind him. _

_It wasn't even a minute before Damien was back in the room on a mission to finish what we had started…_

**Okay, so next chapter I'll let you see Nathan's reaction, but I just wanted to get this out so that everyone following this story can have something.**


	35. Chapter 35

"Damn… I remember that night. I had never seen Jake so bad. The team was doing shots when Peyton interrupted. Jake ran off and when he came back, he wasn't the same. He got so blitzed that night. I didn't realize…"

"Yep." I interrupted him. I really didn't want to think about that right now. Or ever. "We didn't talk for months after that. Then when I got married, we quit talking altogether." I got up to grab my clothes, hoping that I could just walk off the tears like a sprained ankle. If I just kept walking… it would go away.

Nathan got out of the bed and jumped in front of me, grabbing my arms. I just looked at him and laughed. "I'm sorry, but if we're going to have a talk, can we just put some clothes on?"

"Fine," he shrugged as he went over to put on his clothes. Once he was dressed he walked back over to me, "You don't think that just because you're sleeping with someone, Jake will hate you, do you?"

"I don't know what I think."

"Babe, you've got to know it wasn't about you. It was always about Damien. Y'all never fought before you started dating him."

"I know… but how do you know?"

"I spend a lot of time with that kid in a car. Trust me, I know pretty much everything about him. Stake outs are never exactly quiet and lately, he's been tearing himself apart."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he didn't tell me exactly about that night, but he's told me a lot. I guess that's why I didn't really freak out at your story like you might have expected. But I think everyone could see that the way Damien treated you wasn't what you deserved. Him not being affected by Jake being in the room is disgusting. Sex is private, at least if it's about love. Jake just wished that he had done more because he had seen more than other people. He wishes that he hadn't lost touch because you needed him then more than ever. He blames himself for things going on as long as they did for you."

Wow. I couldn't believe that Jake felt that way. I wonder if he ever would have told me himself. Probably not. I felt horrible that I made my best friend feel that way. "He has to know it wasn't his fault. It was all mine. I could have told someone, but I didn't…"

I didn't even get to finish my sentence before Nathan's hand covered my mouth. "Shut up."

"Excuse me?" I said as I ripped his hand away. Exactly who did he think he was talking to?

"It wasn't your fault. Don't say that. It was all Damien's fault."

"I know that it was his fault. I know that he was the one that hit me. But I was the one who let him. I was the one who hoped he would change even though I knew that he wouldn't. Think about rape victims you have to deal with. You can tell them all the time that it wasn't their fault, but they will always find ways it could have been prevented. Simply by staying in on that one night. It wouldn't have happened. They know it's not their fault, but that won't stop them from thinking of the ways it could have been avoided. I need to talk to Jake."

"Hales… I'm not sure if he wants you knowing that."

"It doesn't matter. I know now and I won't let him feel that way. He means to much to me. Can you please send him up here so I can talk to him?"

"Okay," he relented before giving me a smile and a kiss. "I love you."

I laughed at how cute he was. "Are we gonna have to say that now every time one of us leaves the room?"

"Pretty much. That is what couples do after all. Also before we go to sleep every night and every time we hang up the phone."

"Wow. You are such a girl. And I am crazy in love with you for it." I gave him another kiss before he left the room. I guess that's another part of it. You have to say I love you and give a kiss before even leaving your lover's sight. I never had that with Damien. I could definitely get used to this.

I decided to make the bed while I waited for Jake. I don't know why, I was going to have to wash the sheets in a minute. Old habits die hard I guess. I sat down on the freshly made bed positioned to face the door as I waited for Jake. "Hey," I said as I saw him appear at the top of the steps.

"Nathan said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes. Sit." I patted the bed next to me but he shook his head.

"You know how I feel about that. I can not even look at that bed until it has been sterilized." He grabbed a chair in the corner of the room and pulled it up next to me.

"So I'm guessing you'll be spending the night at your house again tonight."

"Absolutely."

"You are such a nerd, you know that, right?"

"Did you call me up here just to make fun of me?"

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. Although I do always find that fun. "I was talking to Nathan," I started wearily, not quite sure of how to approach the subject without him getting pissed at Nathan for breaking their cop code.

"Please don't tell me you're eloping."

"Really? I just got divorced yesterday."

"Hey, you move fast."

Wow. That was kind of… I don't know, rude maybe?

"I didn't mean it that way," he tried to recover when he noticed my quick change of mood. Maybe he didn't, maybe he did, but that didn't matter.

"It's not your fault."

"What's not my fault?"

"Us losing touch, everything that happened with Damien. There was nothing you could have done."

"Great. He told you. See if I ever tell him anything ever again."

I decided to simply ignore his comment. I was Nathan's girlfriend now, of course he's going to tell me everything. "You warned me and I wouldn't listen. There was nothing more you could do."

"Maybe. But if I had just kept in touch, I could have noticed the signs. Instead, you lived in that hell for eight years."

"My own family didn't notice the signs. I was very good at hiding it. You helped me now though. That's what matters. I wouldn't have gotten out of there without you."

"You got yourself out of there, Hales. Maybe with some help from Nathan, but I had nothing to do with it. You are so much stronger than you have ever given yourself credit for."

"Thank you. You're always so good to me. You know I love you, right?" I asked as I climbed into his lap and gave him a bear hug.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too." I let go of him, but stayed in his lap as I gave him a constant smile. "What is going on in that crazy head or yours Haley James?"

"I was just… wondering… you know… how long I'm gonna have to wait until you're my brother in law."

Jake stood up immediately, dropping me flat on my ass. "Whoa. Where did you get that idea?"

I stood up and brushed myself off before sitting back down on the bed with a grumpy face. "Are you serious? I've had this idea since we were seven. I can't it's finally coming true."

"Wait, did Quinn say something about getting married?"

"No Jakey. I pretty much haven't talked to my sister in three months. You on the other hand have been living with her. I mean, really… neither of you are getting any younger."

"Just because some people like to get married when they're eighteen, doesn't mean everyone else is in a rush to get hitched."

"Do you love her?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A damn good one. Do you love her, Jake?"

"Do you love Nathan?"

I couldn't stop the grin I got every time I thought about Nathan. I am such a geek. "Yeah, I do. See? Not that hard to admit. So do you love my sister or am I going to have to kick your ass?"

"You can't kick my ass."

"Well, I can with the help of my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?"

"I know, right? I feel like I'm in high school again."

"That's great, Hales. I'm glad that you're so happy."

"I am."

"And I do. Love your sister, that is."

"You better," I told him as I pointed my finger at him so that he would know I'm keeping an eye on him. Once again… I'm a geek.

"So, shall we go see our lovers now?"

I cringed a bit as I heard those words come out of his mouth. "That sounds dirty. I'd appreciate it if you never used the word 'lover' in my presence again. Especially in reference to my sister."

"What? Are you serious? After badgering me into admitting I love her?"

"Okay, it shouldn't really be called badgering. It was more asking until I got a straight answer. And there's a difference between being in love and being lovers. Kind of like how even though you know Nathan and I are in a relationship, you won't come anywhere near this bed."

"Come on, Hales, that's just gross."

"Okay, fine, think that way if you'd like. But just remember… every single time you try to sleep with my sister in this bed, just remember that Nathan and I had it rocking all night long. And morning too. Seriously fucked each others brains out. Damn, I've done things in this bed…" I was quickly cut off as Jake pounced on top of me, covering my mouth with his hand.

"I hate you so much."

I stuck my tongue out, wetting his hand and he quickly pulled it away. I let out a chuckle before getting up and skipping out of the room. "You love me," I sang before skipping down the stairs.


	36. Chapter 36

It hadn't even been that long since I had seen him, but my stomach was fluttering like it had been ages. As I entered the room Nathan stood up from his chair and walked straight over to me to give me a kiss. I couldn't help but giggle as my sister rolled her eyes.

"Are those my jeans you're wearing?" she squealed as if I was pulling her hair.

"No, they are not. I see why you might be confused since they've been in your closet for almost a year now, but these are definitely my favorite pair of jeans that you 'borrowed' without asking me last year. In case you didn't it out, I'm taking them back now."

"Okay. So are we even now?"

"Even for what?"

"Life… love… sisterhood…"

What a tool, but I love her. "Let me see," I began, not fully wanting to let her off the hook. I put my palms up side by side as if measuring and started teetering the scale, "Eight years of abuse… one night with Nathan…" I squinted my eyes a bit to add more emphasis as Nathan's scale flew off the charts. "You know, I might actually owe you. So if I keep up my end and wash the sheets, I guess we could be even."

Quinn flew out of her seat and into my arms, squeezing me so hard I thought I might burst. Maybe I was being a bit hard on her. She is my sister after all. I was just waiting for her to bring up Taylor. "So, how about you start that laundry now," she grinned when she finally let go of me. I took a deep breath, partly because I was finally able to breathe again, but also because I was glad she wasn't going to pressure me into forgiving Taylor right now. While the marriage might be over, I need to get through the trial before even thinking about her again.

I looked at Nathan and just with the raise of my eyebrows he was off to gather things for me. The perfect gentleman. I was one lucky girl.

"He's pretty amazing, Hales. This whole elaborate night he planned for you… it's beyond words." I loved how Quinn was just as impressed with Nathan as I was. It made it even more real. "You know, all guys should be that romantic," she added excessively loud so that Jake would be sure to hear it upstairs where he had gone with Nathan.

"I think he got the hint," I giggled. She quickly laughed along. Everything seemed comfortable again. "I've missed this," I sighed.

"I've missed you," she said as she tried to hold back tears.

"Do not cry, Quinn James," I threatened her. I could not stand seeing people cry and I knew if she started, I would soon follow. "You know I was totally right." I told her, completely changing the subject hoping to get over all the mushy gushies.

"About what?"

"You and Jake. I so called it twenty years ago. I'm pretty amazing if I do say so myself."

"I second that," Nathan chuckled as he walked back into the room.

Jake was the first to groan, not long followed by Quinn. "So not the visual I need of my two best friends."

"You two need to get your minds out of the gutter. I didn't even mean it that way. Not that she isn't.. because, man…"

"I am so close to kicking your ass, man," Jake threatened.

"Ha! Yeah, I'd like to see you try."

I couldn't help but laugh along. I loved his confidence. It was also what attracted me to Damien. The difference between the two being that Nathan can actually back it up.

"Jake, I hate to bring this to your attention, because I know it broke my heart the first time I accepted it, but our little Haley is no longer a virgin. I'm sorry." Quinn was damn good at keeping a straight face and I just wanted to applaud her. Sarcasm definitely runs in the family.

"Yeah… if you couldn't tell from the way she was walking this morning…" Nathan started.

I pointed my finger at him and he quickly stopped. "Now that's taking it a bit far. We don't need Jake stroking out in front of us." I grabbed Nathan's arm, pulling him in close. "Although I am feeling a little bowlegged this morning," I whispered in his ear. Even though I know they didn't hear me, Nathan's smirk must have given away what I said.

"I hate you both," Jake huffed out before walking out of the room.

"I guess that's out cue to leave," I said as I grabbed Nathan's hand, pulling him along. It was time for us to face the world.

"Love you, Jake," I shouted as we were walking to the door. I hit Nathan in the stomach as we stood at the door. "Say it."

"Are you are serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious."

"Isn't that a bit gay?"

"Really? After the conversation we just scarred him with, I'm pretty sure he knows you're not interested in him that way. Now say it."

"Yeah… Same here, Jake." He looked at me and shrugged. "That's the best I got, babe."

I just rolled my eyes. Really, what else could I do? "You're lucky you're hot."


	37. Chapter 37

**Sorry it's taken so long for me to post again. I've had midterms and life is just crazy. I hope y'all enjoy,**

"Hellooooo?" I shouted as I stuck my head in the front door of my house. When all I heard was my own echoing voice, I swung the door open fully pulling Nathan in behind me. "Alone… again," I giggled as I pushed him up against the wall and kissed him. I pulled him back towards the stairs before jumping up and wrapping my legs around him. "My room?" I asked, hoping to prolong our time of celebration.

Nathan had only made it up three steps before we heard a throat clearing. We both turned to see my father staring at us from the foyer. "Uhh… just thought you'd like to know the family is in the kitchen. So, you might want to keep it down."

My mouth simply hung open. I slowly removed my legs from around Nathan's waist and patted down my clothes, as if that would make me forget this awkward moment. "Um, yeah. I've got to go change," I told my dad as if it was obvious. The way I nervously fiddled with my hair did not do anything for making this situation less uncomfortable.

"I guess Nathan is the one who will be changing you?"

"Eww, Dad!"

"What?"

"Just… we'll be down in a minute, okay?"

"Well, I sure hope it takes longer than that," my dad laughed as he walked back to the kitchen.

I buried my head in Nathan's shirt and did my best not to cry. "That was sooo embarrassing."

Thankfully Nathan was laughing about it. He grabbed my face and smiled. "You are not married to anyone anymore. You obviously enjoy having sex with your boyfriend. What's so embarrassing about that?"

"A lot. Now let's go," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs behind me.

Once we got into my room I closed the door and plopped down on my bed. "I really just wanted to relax for a while," I sighed, annoyed that my family was taking over my house. "Why are they even here?"

"To celebrate you being a single woman?"

"But I'm not a single woman!"

"Yeah, but supposedly you are to everyone but Quinn and Jake."

"Oh whatever, Nathan. You know we weren't fooling anyone."

Nathan moved to stand in front of me on the bed and reached down to lift me up, "They're all down there for you. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

I lifted my arms for him to take, but instead of letting him pull me up, I pulled him down. "Can't we just make out a little bit before we have to face them?"

"Did you really need to ask?"

* * *

By the time we made it back downstairs Jake and Quinn were there. I went straight over to Jake and punched him in the arm as hard as I could. "You know, a little warning would have been nice," I muttered so that he was the only one to hear.

"I bet you've missed that," my dad joked. He could be so lame sometimes.

"Yeah… uh, can you tell me why half of our family is in my kitchen? Aren't family meetings usually at home?"

"Well, to be quite honest sweetie, we didn't think we'd get you out of bed today. So we took it upon ourselves to bring the party here."

"What the hell Mom?"

"Oh honey. It's about time you just realize that we know all your little quirks."

"She's talking about sex," Vivian interjected.

Jake laughed and I punched him again. "What?"

"I hate you all," I huffed.

Nathan had an aggravating smile on his face and it made me want to punch him too. But once he spoke, I didn't want to punch him anymore. "Well, I guess then that it should come as no surprise that Haley and I are officially a couple."

"It's about damn time," Mike said as he got up to shake Nathan's hand.

I went over to give Mike a well-deserved hug and almost started to tear up. "Thank you so much for everything. You've been beyond amazing."

"Anything for family," he said back as he returned the hug.

As he began to pull back away, I grabbed his arms and looked at him hard. Then I looked back at Vivian who was pretending to be looking something in her purse. I knew she was pretending because she didn't have the look of determination she always gets on her face when she's truly searching for something. "You slut!" I squealed as I ran to Vivian and jumped in her lap, giving her a hug.

"Hales, you're making a scene," Vivian said calmly. It seemed as if I was the only one to catch onto the subtle hint that probably escaped unintentionally.

"I'm not making a scene! And you should be making a scene! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Umm, have I missed something here, girls?" my mom asked, still oblivious.

"Oh my God, am I the only one here with a brain? They're fucking married!"

"What?" pretty much everyone in the room said at once.

"They're not wearing rings," Quinn said as if they couldn't possibly be married without rings.

"Right, because Damien and I totally wore rings in front of everyone for pretty much the whole first year we were married."

Everyone had stopped and simply stared at the two who looked like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "So, is it true?" my dad finally asked.

Vivian stuck her hand back in the purse and I could tell that she was reaching in the side pocket. When her hand came back out she had on a wedding ring. "It's true. And I hate you Hales."

"And I love you," I said, squeezing her so tight she couldn't breath. It didn't matter that I had just gotten divorced, I was so happy for my sister getting married, especially to someone who has helped me so selflessly.

Congratulations were given all over before I decided to ask what I partly already knew the answer to, "So, why all the secrecy?"

"You were going through something big. And I didn't want to show off my relationship when yours was coming to an end. I just didn't want to rub my happiness in your face."

I had been forced to remove myself from her lap when insaneness ensued, but I sat back down and gave her another hug. "Thank you, but I'm pretty happy too," I said as I sent Nathan a smile.

"I can tell, but I never would have thought that possible when I showed up here."

"Yeah… it is kind of crazy."

"Are you two done?" my dad asked, apparently annoyed by us ignoring everybody else like we always seem to do. "I'm ready for cake."

"Cake?" I squealed jumping up.

"Yeah, I made divorce cake." Only my mom would make divorce cake. If she had known there probably would have been an even more extravagant wedding cake.

She lit eight candles and brought out the cake. One half of it had prison bars and the other half had the words 'Finally Free'. Right below the words my mother had made a makeshift picture of a police badge with icing. It wasn't very good, but you could tell what it was. Nathan and I noticed it at the same time and it definitely made me feel good, knowing that my mother approved. It had never been that way with Damien and it felt better than I ever could have imagined.

My mother had a proud grin on her face at what I'm sure she considered a masterpiece. "Make a wish and blow 'em out sweetie."

I didn't have to think long to come up with my wish. I closed my eyes and wished to myself, I wish Nathan is 'my one'.

**Check out a website my cousin & I are trying to get going to help people (mainly high school & college aged kids) going through hard times. **

**Go to… www. ikhyf. blogspot. com**


	38. Chapter 38

**Okay, so this is short, but I'm working on a few papers from school and this was all I had time to write. Enjoy.**

"Oh my God," I groaned as I shut my front door, finally ridding the house of my parents.

"You both really suck," Quinn said from beside me.

I just liked at her like she was crazy. "What is your problem?" I asked.

"Both of you got married without Mom and Dad being there! We all know Taylor's never getting married and now all the pressure is on me. So thanks," she huffed sarcastically.

Wow. Quinn sure could get annoying. I spread my arms out and pointed my fingers until I made a complete circle, pointing back to me, yeah, I'm an overexaggerating nerd, but who cares. "Divorcee," I pointed out.

Vivian laughed, as she always does. "Nice, Quinn. Way to completely overlook the fact that Hales got divorced last night and focus on how painful it is that you are now in a serious relationship with a boy who Mom and Dad already consider a son."

"Yeah," I joined in. "Jake's already family. How is that such a hardship?"

"Oh, hey, Jake's right here," he interrupted pointing out the obvious that us James girls got lost in our own world again.

"Aww, Jake," I smiled at him. He should be used to it by now, but I guess he's not. "You know I love you?"

"And I love you too, Hales."

"Yeah, so get out of my house."

"What?"

"Yeah, sorry. Take my sister and skedaddle. I am tired and not in the mood for her moaning." I opened the door and smiled as I held out Quinn's purse for her to take. "Love you, guys," I shouted at them as they left.

"I'm too tired to even talk to you," I told Vivian. I gave her a kiss and a smile. "I love you and you know we're going to talk about this later, right?"

"I expect nothing less."

I turned to Nathan and stuck out my bottom lip.

"What do you want?" he asked, knowing the face I make when I want something.

"I'm tired…"

"I figured, considering you've said it at least five times now."

"Carry me?" I asked with a grin.

He rolled his eyes at me, but I'm pretty sure it was just so he didn't seem so whipped to Viv and Mike who were still in the room. It must have been a façade because before I knew it I was in his arms and on my way upstairs. He threw me down on the bed and I couldn't quit giggling.

He started going through my drawers as he began talking to me, "You know, I've been hearing a lot of something lately."

"A lot of what?"

"Just… something you said to every in the foyer. Everyone, that is, other than me."

"What are you talking about? And what are you doing?"

He threw a teddy at me and smiled. "Finding something for comfortable for you to slip into."

"And you really think this is comfortable?"

"Isn't that what they say in movies?"

"Yeah, but it's not true. It squishes my boobs like crazy and really, why would they have a matching thong if it is just going to be ripped off?"

"Really? Ripped off? Because if I recall correctly, which I will for the rest of my life, last night I did not get to rip any clothes off of you. The towel just magically fell off."

"Magically?"

"It was definitely magical."

"You are such a girl," I laughed. And I loved him for it.

"You make me that way."

"I make you drool like a puppy?"

"Actually, just thinking about what I'm going to do to you makes me drool," he said as he climbed on top of me on the bed.

"You're not really going to make me put this on?" I asked as I held the teddy between us.

He gave me a bit of a weird look before he answered. "I would never make you do something you don't want to."

"So if I said I was too tired to do anything but sleep right now, you'd just let it go?"

Without a word, he got up and went back to my drawers, picking out a pair of boxers and a camisole. "I guess I'd have to get my giggles from watching you change."

"You really are perfect." I took the clothes from him and threw them across the room. "Lucky for you, the last thing I want to do right now is sleep."

"And the first thing you want to do?"

"You," I laughed. I am really never this forward about sex, but being around Nathan does something to me. Suddenly, I thought back to our earlier meanderings. "What were you talking about earlier? About something I said downstairs?"

"Well, you said something to everyone in the room that you didn't say to me."

"I am lost, babe, what did I say?"

"Think hard. Something you said before each person left."

"Goodbye?"

"Yeah, I'd really be jealous that you didn't tell me goodbye."

"You're jealous?" I teased.

"Well, yeah, I mean, I haven't heard those three words in hours."

Boy am I dense. Had it really been hours since I last said what constantly ran through my mind? "I love you more than I ever knew imaginable."

"Like music to my ears," he said dreamily. He really is a girl.

"Now that we've established that, how about we get back to…"

"Ripping off clothes?" he asked as he kinked his eyebrow. Now that's the man in him.


	39. Chapter 39

"So, I was thinking… now that the divorce is final, I actually own my own house," I told Nathan as I was getting ready for court.

"Empowering?"

"Eh, I don't know. I guess the fact that I actually own something is great, but I really don't want it. It's full of way too many memories. I was thinking about selling it."

"That's a pretty big deal," Nathan said as if it was no big deal.

Noticing the distraction in Nathan's voice, I turned around to look at him and laughed, "Really? I'm trying to have an adult conversation and you're… ogling my goodies?"

"Not exactly the 'adult' type of conversation I enjoy."

"Oh my gosh, you perv," I laughed as she playfully hit him across the chest. "I never should have slept with you. You have seriously reverted to high school."

"Don't you dare say that," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned in to kiss my neck. "The past two days have been amazing."

"And I wouldn't take them back for the world," I grinned before pushing him away and getting back to changing. "But seriously, not the time. We don't want to be late and we still have to go to your house."

"Yeah, how annoying is that? Having to allot extra time do go change at another house."

"I absolutely agree."

"And you're getting a new place?"

I could tell where he was going with this, but honestly, we slept together for the first time two days ago and he is already thinking about going even further? "Uh, no. Well, yes, but no. I'm getting a new place, but you are not. No way are we moving in together before Jake and Quinn."

"Did I say anything about moving in together?"

"No, but you insinuated it."

"Okay, fine. But since you obviously don't know, they are moving in together. Next week actually."

"What? How did I not know this?"

"Probably because before yesterday you hadn't talked to your sister in over a month and every time Jake brought her up, you told him to shove it."

Ugh. What a bitch. I rolled her eyes, not so much because I was annoyed at Nathan, but more at myself for letting things get the way I had with my sister. I let out a deep breath, frustrated that I hadn't even let Jake tell me about something so important in his life. "I just can't believe I didn't know."

"Yep. He's even got a ring."

"You've got to be shitting me! How do you know this?"

"Because he's my best friend?"

"That's just so weird. He is supposed to be my best friend, not yours. I mean, we've been friends longer."

"Did you not learn in grade school that you're allowed to have more than one best friend?" Nathan joked.

"You don't have more than one best friend!"

"Of course I do. There's Jake and Clay and some days even Brooke. Not to even mention my very best friend."

His very best friend? I couldn't remember meeting any of his other friends and was definitely confused. But that doesn't mean that I failed to notice that having a very best friend really means you have one best friend with a lot of other great friends. "Have I met this person?"

"That depends. Is it really possible to 'meet' yourself?"

"I'm your best friend?" I asked, disbelievingly.

"Absolutely. Why would you think differently?"

"Because I'm your girlfriend, not your best friend."

"It is possible to be both, ya know? I mean, think about it. I don't know about you, but when something good happens to me, the first person I want to call and tell is you. When I have a bad day, the first person I want to complain about it to is you. My number one speed dial is you and pretty much every picture, text, and minute I use on my phone has something to do with you. You are the person that I want to spend all my time with. Is all of that not what a best friend is?"

"Okay, you win," I said dismissively, trying not to let him see me swoon over his sweet words. I really shouldn't let him get used to that. He'll think he can get away with anything by being sweet. Which he totally can… but he can't know that.

"That's a first."

"Whatever. So, back to the point I was trying to make in the beginning. I was thinking something more like… a drawer."

"A drawer?" Nathan asked incredulously. Okay, sure, a drawer wasn't really as huge a deal as I was making it seem, but he could at least act like it meant something.

"Half the closet?" I offered, hoping to boost his spirits. Just because I didn't think we should live together, doesn't mean I think we shouldn't spend all our time with each other.

When he didn't respond, I started to get a little bit worried. I put down the brush as I finished my hair and turned to look at him again. "Toothbrush?"

"I like using your toothbrush. It works a lot better than mine."

"Okay… scratch the toothbrush. Although most people would find that creepy. What do you think? About the rest of it?"

"Ummm… who gets a drawer?" he finally asked. "Me or you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, do I have a drawer at your place or do you have a drawer at my place?"

"Well, obviously it's not my place to decide everything, but I was kind of hoping both. You know, so no matter where we wanted to stay, we'd have back up."

"Then I say yes," he smiled, finally showing some emotion. He got up and gave me a kiss before picking up my purse and handing it to me so that we could leave. "Wait…" he said as he stopped me from walking out of the room.

"What?"

"Does this mean that your tampons are going to be my bathroom now? Because I'm not sure if I'm ready for that."

Wow. Where does this boy get these things from? What guy really worries about tampons in his bathroom? "We can worry about that when the time comes. Still got a few weeks before that's an issue. B-T-Dubs, you're weird," I added before I left him behind.

"B-T-Dubs, you just said B-T-Dubs, so I think you're the weird one," he laughed back before following me.


	40. Chapter 40

"I still can't believe you're my brother-in-law," I said as I watched Mike drinking from the water fountain in the court lobby.

"Neither can I," he laughed when he finally came up for air. I swear that man drinks like a fish.

We walked into the courtroom and I was surprised that Damien was already there. "What's he doing here?" I asked Mike. I was definitely freaked out. I was used to him walking in with prison guards, but I didn't see any.

"The court must just be ahead of schedule," Mike explained, but it didn't really help.

My feet were glued to their spot. No way was I going to walk any closer to him. It's not like I didn't see him in court a lot, I did, but with him, sitting there, waiting for me, it was just creepy. I felt someone coming up from behind me and I turned to run. I ran around the stranger and straight into Nathan.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly as I let a few tears fall.

He held me tight, hoping to calm me, even though I knew he didn't even know why I'm crying. "Only a few more days of this, babe. Then we're done with him."

"Yeah… for fifteen months."

"That's the minimum, Hales. If he gets what he deserves, it'll be seven and a half years."

"If…" I said, rolling my eyes. Yeah right. This is Damien we're talking about. He will flash a smile and get away with it. He always does.

"Hales, you are divorced," Nathan said as he grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to look at him. "You never thought that would happen, but it did. This is going to happen, okay?"

I know Nathan means well, but that doesn't always make things better. I knew disagreeing with him would get me no where and that I could argue with him later, not in public. "Okay," I relented, trying to hide how fake it really was.

Unfortunately I'm not really good at hiding things from Nathan. "Fine, don't believe me, but I'm here. and I'm not going anywhere."

He leaned down and gave me a kiss and immediately my body went tense. Nathan must not have seen Damien already in the courtroom, or else he's just plain stupid. Before I could even breathe again I heard the gate between the court and the gallery swing open.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" I heard a familiar voice scream as I felt someone grab my wrist. I was thrown back into the benches with great force as I saw Damien fly at Nathan. Not expecting the interruption, Nathan got a quick fist to the jaw before catching his bearings. "I won, dammit! Do you hear me, Scott? I fucking won!" Another fist to his face, this time connecting with his eye as Damien continued screaming. Finally, a court officer was able to jump in and pull Damien off of him, but the screaming didn't stop, Damien obviously wanted something from Nathan.

"Get him out of here," Mike screamed at the officer before going over to talk to Damien's lawyers.

I just stood back against the bench, watching the entire scene. I knew my back would be bruised from the force I had been thrown with, but it wasn't really the first thing on my mind at the moment. Several people rushed over to Nathan, but I wasn't one of them. I just watched, confused.

I don't know how long I was standing there, I was just in a bit of a daze. Mike finally escorted me out of the court after he had talked with Damien's lawyer. I know I thought that this might help things, but then again, the judge didn't see it. I couldn't even remember if the jury had been there. I had never seen Damien so mad, and even though I had Nathan by my side, I didn't feel safe like I thought I would.

Once we made our way out into the lobby, I saw paramedics checking out Nathan, but he was trying to shrug them off. He was acting so macho. Just like Damien. He was just like Damien. At least high school Damien. The one I fell in love with. But why didn't Nathan fight back? Why didn't he look mad? He just looked satisfied. Like he had won something. Had he won something? Is that why Damien was so mad? I needed to know what was going on and now.

I walked over to him and just looked at him. "What was he talking about?"

"I don't know, Hales. He was crazed. I'm sure he just freaked when he saw us together."

"Okay," I said dejectedly. "Well, I'm really sorry."

"Why?"

"Because I can't be with someone who lies to me. I love you, but I won't do that to myself again. You know exactly what he was talking about. I'm not stupid. He's said it before and you knew what he was talking about. So, until you can honest with me, I can't be with you." I don't know how I did, but I was able to hide my tears until I turned away. "Can you take me home, Mike?"

Mike accepted and immediately wrapped his arm around me as he led me out of the building. I whispered a thank you to him as he opened the car door for me, but that is all that was said on the long ride home.

**Sucks, I know. But Damien had to rear his ugly face again.**


	41. Chapter 41

My phone rang for the first time in thirty minutes. I had just been able to fall asleep for a nap. I looked at the caller ID and was relieved to see that it wasn't Nathan.

"Hey Viv…"

"Hi Deary. Did I wake you?"

"Not at all. I just sound groggy for no reason at all."

"Hey now, no need for the sarcasm. You could have just been crying."

"Why would I be crying?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe because you just broke up with the love of your life and you are now in the lion's den."

"We're not broken up… I'm just giving him time to reevaluate his decisions. Although considering he's only called me, like, 6 times, maybe he doesn't even deserve that. I mean, at least Damien took the initiative to find me."

"You're really comparing him to Damien?"

"Well, apparently they're on the same level. You should have seen them interact today. It just repulsed me."

"I heard enough from Mike. You'll be happy to know that Nate has been looking for you though. Which I think is why he didn't call you. We kinda told him not to. That you needed some time to think."

"What else did you say?"

"Not much. He was pretty much out of here as soon as we said you weren't here. It was pathetic Hales. I guess he thought you were here and just not answering the door because he gave this long speech about loving you, blah blah blah… all from the front porch. After, like, thirty minutes we decided to tell him to bug off because you weren't here."

I heard beeping and looked down at my phone. I figured it was dying since I had left my charger at my house with Mike and Viv, but it was just sister number two calling. "Quinn's on the other line. Let me call you back," I told Vivian. Before letting her respond, I turned over to Quinn's call, "What's up?"

"So, your man just left here. I think he's on his way to the 'rents."

"Seriously? He thinks I would really stay at our parents?"

"I guess. I don't know. I just think he really wants to set things straight. He looked pretty upset."

"Well he should be upset."

"Come on Hales, cut the kid some slack."

My phone beeped in again, confusing me when I saw Jake's name. "Aren't you with Jake?"

"No, he's at his place."

"Ugh. He's calling. I'll talk to you later." I switched over to my new call expecting Jake to be sticking up for Nathan. "What is it Jake?"

"I'm sorry, Hales."

"You're not Jake," I responded, making sure there was no inflection of feeling in my voice.

"I know, but I needed to talk to you and you weren't answering my calls."

"So you got my best friend to turn on me?"

"No. He doesn't know actually. He told me that he couldn't tell me where you were. So I stole his phone and snuck into his bathroom."

"Wow… you really are one heck of a friend."

"Where are you? I just want to talk to you."

"You're talking to me right now."

"I mean in person."

"Can we just talk about it tomorrow? I need some time to think about things."

"I really wanted to talk to you about it now."

"Nathan," I started, letting him know not to push it.

"I'm sorry. Tomorrow's fine. Whatever you want."

"All I want is the truth," I told him. "I'll see you tomorrow Nathan," I added before hanging up the phone.

* * *

It was three in the morning and I was standing outside of my boyfriend's house freezing my butt off. In a way, I didn't know how I had ended up there after insisting that I not see him until tomorrow. But then again, I also knew exactly why I was there. I had been tossing and turning all night, not able to get comfortable and not able to quit thinking about Nathan.

I couldn't ring the doorbell, because I really didn't want to wake up Clay. I opted to knock on the door and if he didn't answer, then just go back home. I heard a grumble and the shuffling of feet soon after I knocked. Shortly after that, the door swung open and Nathan and I were face to face. Before I could even get out a hello, his lips were on mine, surprising the hell out of me. Once I regained my bearings, I pushed him away, "What are you doing, Nathan?"

"I'm sorry, I thought I was dreaming. I figured I might as well go for it. What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep."

I saw a little smile cross Nathan's face before he replied. "Neither could I. My brain just wouldn't turn off. I love you and I hate you being mad at me."

"Can we go inside?" I asked, knowing this wasn't the greatest location to have a heart-to-heart. He nodded before leading me inside to his den. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just disappointed. You reminded me a lot of Damien today and it scared me."

"You know I'm nothing like him," Nathan said defensively.

"Do I?"

"Come on, Hales. You know I could never hurt you."

"You already are, Nathan. By not telling me the truth."

"Hales, it's not a big deal."

"If it's not a big deal, then why can't you tell me?"

"Because you don't want to know. It was high school."

Seriously, by this point I want to rip my hair out. If it is nothing, then fucking tell me, if it's something, just get it over with. Does Nathan not realize that the sooner he is honest with me the sooner things can go back to normal? Obviously whatever happened was about to blow up the fucking roof. I just looked at the man I loved and my heart broke. Maybe I didn't want to know, but I needed to know. "Come here," I whispered as I motioned for him to sit on the couch next to me.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me."

After a few seconds of confusion etched on his face, Nathan kissed me, but not really like he meant it. I opened my eyes to look at him, trying not to cry. "Kiss me like you mean it. Like you may never kiss me again."

He just looked at me and shook his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I will kiss you again. I'm still going to be kissing you years from now."

"Not if you don't tell me the truth. And if you don't, I know Damien would love to. It's your choice Nathan." I could tell that he was thinking it over, so I decided to jumpstart the situation by voicing the thought that hadn't left my mind all day. "Am I some sort of trophy?"

"No, of course not," he immediately replied.

"Then what did he win? Why is he so obsessed about winning? I know you hate each other but I don't know why."

"Because he's an asshole that's why!"

"You don't think I know that?" I shot back, efficiently shutting him up. "I also know that he loved me with all his heart. Just as you claim to. And even though he loves me, he's always going to hurt me. He will always lie to me and I can't let it start like that with you. We've got a great thing going on, Nathan, I know that. But I also know that great doesn't last forever. Especially when you're keeping secrets from each other."

"Please, Hales, I'm begging you. Just let this one drop."

I shook my head, silently letting him know there was no way out of this one.

"I don't want to break your heart," he squeaked out.

The simple sound of his helpless voice was already breaking my heart. I almost didn't want to know, but would I ever be able to sleep if I didn't know? "It's too late for that. Just tell me what Damien thinks he won."

"I don't know how to answer that, Hales."

"How about truthfully?"

I could see Nathan take a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It made me sick to think that he had done something so horrible he thought he couldn't be honest with me. When he grabbed my hand, I quickly pulled it away, not feeling that he deserved to be comforted if this was as bad as he was making it to be. I prayed it couldn't be.

He looked dejected when I ripped my hand from his grasp, but thankfully that didn't stop him from talking. "There was kind of a bet."

"Kind of?" I asked. I'm pretty sure there either is a bet or there isn't.

"You see, Damien and I were really competitive."

"Yeah, I know. I've seen you fight. And it's gotten physical. More than once. But what does that have to do with a bet? That Damien obviously won."

"It wasn't my idea…"

"I don't care who's idea it was. Just cut to the fucking chase!"

"I will if you let me finish," he said, showing me his first bit of anger about the subject. I simply sat back and crossed my arms over my chest waiting for him to continue. "Tony Battle was my best friend at camp. We talked about everything. Especially girls."

"Great," I rolled my eyes, remembering exactly who his girlfriend at the time was. "What does Brooke have to do with this?"

"I didn't talk to him about Brooke. I was never in love with Brooke. I talked about this beautiful angel who didn't even know I existed. Tony always made fun of me because I was Nathan Scott. I was supposed to have big game and I couldn't even talk to the school's tutor. I pretty much explained to him how this girl was way above me and that I never had a chance with her."

"But you did!" I shouted, surprising both of us.

"I didn't know that though. All I knew was that you were a million times better than me. Apparently Damien overheard some of our conversations and decided he would use it against me."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he wanted to prove he was better than me. And decided that getting you to go out with him was the perfect way to do that. I thought that there was no way in hell that you would say yes to him, so I took his bet."

"How much was I worth? Ten… twenty dollars?"

"No money, just pride."

"Right, as if y'all didn't have enough of that."

"I know… it was stupid."

"So is that what this is? You finally sticking it to Damien by bedding his ex-wife?"

"No! Absolutely not!" he screamed as he reached for my hand.

Once again I pulled it away, grabbing my purse before running out the door. I couldn't handle this right now. It was all too much. The second I stepped outside I felt the rain pouring down on me, completely soaking me. I finally let the tears fall, knowing that it no longer mattered since my face was already covered in water. I couldn't even gather enough strength to run to the car to get out of the rain. I simply walked, soaking in the rain and trying to let my mind settle. If I thought seeing Nathan tonight was going to let me sleep, I was wrong in every single way.


	42. Chapter 42

**Who watched this week's episode? I loved it, well, part of it. I don't want to give any of it away for those who haven't watched it yet, so PM me and tell me what you guys thought! I'm absolutely IN LOVE with the surprise guest star! Anyways… here's some more Abused for ya!**

"I love you," I whispered through the tears that were falling into more water.

"I love you too, sweetie," Vivian smiled back before flushing the toilet again, causing me to flinch.

"My hair's in a ponytail. You don't need to hold it back," I told her ask I rested my hand on her arm that was holding back my hair.

"Yes, I do," she grinned as she brushed her fingers through my pulled back hair. "I'm your big sister and I'm going to do whatever I can to take care of you."

"Did the maid come this week?" I asked when I finally felt able to lift my head from the toilet.

"Umm, I don't know, why?"

"Just wondering how incredibly unsanitary I'm being."

"You're okay, Hales. Are you ready to talk?"

God. Just thinking about it made me sick. I started heaving for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "It's horrible, Viv," I cried once my breathing returned as close to normal as it could.

"I can tell. I'm guessing Nathan told you the truth?"

I just nodded my head and watched the water swirl around the toilet from where Vivian had flushed again. I couldn't look at my sister because I knew the crying would only get worse if I did. Just trying to voice it made the tears flood the toilet bowl. Finally I was able to speak. "My whole marriage was a sham. It was a bet between two basketball players to see who had game."

"What are you talking about Hales?" she asked, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at her. Her face had gone from sympathetic to almost angry in a matter of seconds.

"I was a fucking bet!" I screamed, causing Mike to run to the door and check on us.

Vivian shooed him away before turning back to me. "I got that. But what kind of bet?"

"Damien never even wanted me. Nathan liked me, but was too afraid to ask me out. Damien wanted to prove he was better than Nathan so he bet him that he could get a date with me first."

"That's not true," Vivian said.

"It is! Nathan told me himself!"

"Okay, but that doesn't mean Damien never wanted you. Maybe it started off wrong, but he fell in love with you Hales. He wouldn't have married you over a stupid bet."

"I love you, Viv, but you're so wrong here. He cheated on me with my own sister. And probably many more. Obviously, there wasn't anything special about me that he fell for. You know that. You never supported us because you knew it was wrong. You knew he didn't love me like you're supposed to love your wife. You told me that all the time. So did Quinn and Mom and Dad and everyone else. Don't go back and change your mind now just because you want to make me feel better."

"You're honestly telling me that you don't think Damien ever loved you?"

"I think he saw me as a possession. Like I really was something he won in a bet. I was just never able to put it together until now."

"Hales…"

"There's nothing left to say, Viv," I said, relinquishing my post at the toilet and simply letting my body fall to the tile and curl up. I was done. Done thinking about it. Done getting sick about it. Done crying about it. I just wanted it all to be over. Before I knew it, I was in Mike's arms being carried up to my bed.

I don't think I had been in my bed for even five minutes before I was scrambling into my bathroom. The memories that bed held made me sick. The memories of that bathroom made me sick. Every thing in my own house repulsed me. I ran to my car, wanting to get out of there as quick as I could. Why hadn't I fixed my car? It's been months and I still haven't fixed the damn tires. Why would I let these memories of Damien stay around for so long? I ran out the garage door, in serious need of air. It was six in the morning. Where the hell did I think I was going?

Minutes later I was knocking on an unfamiliar door, praying someone would answer. I squished myself behind a plant to hide from people passing on the street and rung the doorbell. Finally, I saw a face looking at me from inside the window and a second later the door swung open. "Haley?" the girl asked.

"I am sooo sorry to bother you this early…"

"Oh nonsense," the girl said before dragging me inside her house and shutting the door. "You look like shit. What happened? Please don't tell me you broke up with Nathan."

I didn't answer. I didn't really know how to. I was definitely pissed at him, but I didn't know if it was to the point that I never wanted to see him again. Because that is what it would have to be. I knew I couldn't just be friends with him.

"Oh my God! What did he do? Do I need to go next door and kick his ass?"

"No! Brooke, please don't. I just couldn't be at my house. There were too many memories. And I couldn't be at Nathan's. And I don't have a car, so I really didn't have any other place to go. I just… need a place to sleep."

"And a breath mint. Girl, you smell atrocious."

"Do you have either of those for me?"

"You're in luck. I've got both. And I'm on my way out to work, so you have the place to yourself." I followed her upstairs to a guest bedroom and immediately climbed under the covers. The warmth underneath was incredible. "I thought you were going to work," I said once I noticed she had sat down on the bed next to me.

"Yeah, but I have fifteen minutes to spare. I know we're not close, but I'm glad you came here. Nathan is one of my best friends and I've never seen him as happy as he is with you."

"Maybe he's doing good, but have you ever seen me looking this bad?"

"You look a thousand times better than you did the first time I saw you since graduation. You might not remember, but I'll never forget. Nathan's Perfect Little Haley James drops into my ER. Blood gushing from your forehead. Bruised handmarks around your wrists, a broken cheekbone, two broken ribs. Trust me Haley, tears and vomit look much better on you than blood and pain."

"So you get why I couldn't be at home, right?"

"Absolutely. But I don't get why you can't be at Nathan's. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but if you do, I'm listening."

I quickly sat up, wanting some input from someone who wasn't a part of the situation. "What would you do if you found out that Clay only asked you out because Nathan bet him that you were too good for him?"

"I'd probably beat Nathan up and throw Clay's engagement ring back at him."

"Really?"

"Definitely. Then I'd make Clay grovel on his hands and knees to get me back, because no way would I let one stupid move by Nathan Scott ruin the best thing I've got going in my life."

"What if that one stupid move caused you eight abusive years of your life?"

"You can't blame Nathan for that. Who's to say that Damien wouldn't have asked you out without any encouragement from Nathan? I mean, you've gotta know you're hot. If we weren't so damn afraid of you, you would have been one of us."

"Afraid of me?"

"Absolutely. Just like Nathan was. You were gorgeous and brilliant. You had more than any of use could offer and you would have taken over the school if we had let you."

"That's pretty warped."

"Popularity always is. Nathan loves you Haley and he would never treat you like Damien did. Our relationship was so fucked up, but he never raised a hand to me. And I know he never would to you. He would never intentionally hurt you. And you obviously mean enough to him that he wouldn't lie to you even though he knew the risk that came along with the truth."

"I know all of that. It's the reason I left. I didn't want to say something that I couldn't take back. But I also can't help but blame him. I just don't know if I can overcome that feeling."

"I know Nathan will probably kill me for saying this, but maybe you should talk to Damien about it. Not about Nathan, but about his intentions. If you don't remember, I was there the night he asked you out. Even in my cheer uniform, he didn't give me a second look."

"How do you even remember that?"

"That was the night I knew I had Nathan for good. From then on I knew my popularity was safe, but I also knew I would never love Nathan the way he loved you. I watched his heart break that night when I told him. I thought it would be great for us, but it was just the beginning of the end."

"I just don't get it. If he was so in love with me, why did he never even talk to me?"

"We lived in two different worlds. Socially you my have been lower than us, but you were above us in every other way. It was intimidating. You two never would have worked back then anyways. But now you're kind of perfect for each other."

"Ya think?"

"I know," she grinned, showing her dimples.

"Do you really think I should talk to Damien?"

"Not if you don't want to. But if you have questions that you think he can answer, why not?"

"You're right. I need to know the truth. Thank you, Brooke. And I'm sorry if I made you late."

"You're fine, honey. The charge nurse can't get mad at me anymore. I just tell her to report me to the chief, who just so happens to be Clay's dad. It's great. Now, you need to get some sleep because you look like shit. Call me when you wake up and I can take you to the prison."

"I can't ask you to do that, Brooke."

"You didn't. I offered. So, I'm putting my number in your phone and you will call me when you wake up. Completely refreshed and ready to take on the world."

I stopped Brooke before she walked out the door, "Hey… would you mind…"

"Not telling Nathan you're here? My lips are sealed."

**So, what's y'all think about the reappearance of Brooke? She's back for at least next chapter, if y'all like her, I can try to add her in some more.**


	43. Chapter 43

I slept for five hours this morning before finally turning on my phone. Way too many messages from family members thinking I went off the edge. Even calls from Nathan because when I wasn't found, people thought I might be with him. WRONG. Just adding another person onto my list to text and let know I'm alive. No way would I call anyone. That would take up the rest of my day explaining things to each person.

The only person I called was Mike. I needed to see Damien and I didn't know if I could, considering the circumstances. I was allowed to. Thankfully, or maybe not. I'm not sure yet. I'm sitting here at this cubicle of a window waiting for him in his tacky orange jumpsuit. And there he is… huge smile on his face. Maybe the fact that I've come to see him just reassures him that he won. I don't know, but it pisses me off even more. He's in jail, he's supposed to be suffering.

I watched as he picked up the phone, the smile never leaving his face. "You look beautiful, Hales."

I gave him the look I had given him millions of times when I knew I looked like shit and he complemented me. I couldn't deny that it had always flattered me. "I look like crap."

"That's what's great about you, Hales. You've never known how truly beautiful you are. No matter how many times you're told, you just never can seem to believe it."

"It's not that I don't believe it. I just know that some times I look bad. Like, when I don't sleep."

"Why couldn't you sleep?" he asked, as if he was truly concerned. I could tell by the look in his eye that it was only fake though. He was hoping that he had gotten under my skin with Nathan. What he didn't expect was my reaction to it.

"You honestly think you've accomplished something great."

"I don't know what you're talking about, baby."

"Don't call me that," I gritted out angrily between my teeth. "I need to know something."

"About your boyfriend? I mean, Nathan is your boyfriend, right?"

"Damien, we're divorced. I can see whoever I damn well want."

"Why are you here then? If we're so divorced, why would you come to see me?"

"Because I want to know if it was ever real for you. Was I always just some bet to prove you were better than Nathan?"

"He told you?" Damien seemed to be a bit beside himself about the fact.

"Yeah, he told me that I was some stupid bet. That somehow if you got me to go out with it made you better than him."

Damien burst out laughing, making me really uncomfortable. "That's what he told you?" he finally said. After a moment of me just staring at him like an idiot, he continued. "You really believed it was just to date you? How naïve are you, Hales? The first to get you to bed is more like it. How long did it take him anyways?"

"How long did it take you?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't actually know the answer.

"Damn girl, you were… tough. Nine months and twenty-three days. Thank God I had Taylor to help with all the blue balls you left me with."

"Are you serious? You're an asshole."

"Maybe, but I'm an asshole that you love."

"Loved. Past tense. Did you ever love me?"

"Do you love him?"

"I asked you first."

"Wow. Never expected the kindergarten response from you. Of course I loved you, Hales. Once I had you trained at least."

"Wow. If there wasn't glass between us, I would slap you right now. To answer your question. Yes, I do love him. And I gave it up to him on the first date. So I guess you lose after all." I threw the phone at his face and watched him flinch when it hit the glass. That was almost satisfactory. It's good those windows are thick because I don't think I've ever used that much strength in my life.

The second I was out the door I felt Brooke's arms around me as I finally let the tears fall. I couldn't believe this was my life. The person who was supposed to love me until death treating me like a piece of meat. Not that it was new, but for the first time, he made it obvious. Then the man that I thought was the love of my life lied to me. And now, a girl I barely know, someone who always seemed to be from another planet, was hugging me and actually providing comfort.

She walked me to the car without a word. We were halfway back to my house when she finally spoke. "No pressure, but I'm here."

"Thank you, but I need to talk to Nathan. Can you take me there?"

"Of course." It wasn't long before we were parked in Brooke's driveway. "I'll probably be over there in a little bit when Clay gets off. As soon as you want out of there, grab me and we're out of there."

"Thanks," I smiled as I gave her a little nod.

She grabbed my arm and looked me straight in the eyes, "I mean it."

The walk next door was nerve racking. My mind was racing with things I wanted to say to Nathan and questions I wanted answered. When the door opened Nathan looked as surprised to see me as I was to be on his doorstep.

"I wasn't expecting you."

"Neither was I, but here I am. Can I come in?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"I went to see Damien today," I began before I was abruptly cut off.

"What were you thinking?" he screamed. "I can't believe you'd actually go see him! Especially after what happened in court and you knowing about everything. Why would you do that?"

"Because I wanted answers," I told him emphatically, hoping to calm him down if I talked with just as much force.

"I gave you answers!" he shouted back at me.

"Apparently not honest ones."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the bet. I know what it was really about."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you won, Nathan. You got me to sleep with you in less time that Damien. Bravo. Really, great job."

"That wasn't the bet."

"Are you sure about that? Because that is what Damien always thought it was. And sadly, I have to believe that piece of shit."

"You don't have to. You're choosing to. I told you the truth, Hales. I didn't want to, but I did. Why would I tell you that you were a bet if I was just going to lie about it?"

"I don't know. The real question is that if you truly cared about me, why the hell would you be making any bet at all?"

"Because I was a teenager! And he was an asshole!"

"He obviously wasn't the only asshole."

"Fine! I was an asshole! Okay? Are you happy now?"

"Yeah Nathan, I'm ecstatic. Every guy who has ever supposedly loved me has just been trying to get in my pants."

"Shut up," he finally yelled at me, efficiently shutting me up and scaring me at the same time. It reminded me of how fights would start out with Damien, though I'm not sure that I had actually yelled at Damien since high school. I learned pretty quickly where that would get me.

I just looked at Nathan, not saying a word. "How can you even say that?" he asked, his voice much softer this time.

"Maybe because you and my ex-husband competed for my vagina. I only say it that way to get across my point of exactly how vulgar it is. You are the reason Damien came after me. You are the reason I lived in hell for eight years. You are the reason I lost my babies. You are the reason my heart is broken. I hope you feel good about yourself."

Not letting him answer, I rushed out of his house, running into Brooke in the process. Without a word she followed me out as I ran to her car and broke down in front of it.

"Oh God, Haley, what happened?"

"I told him I blamed him. For everything."

"You didn't," she said as she sat down next to me.

"I did," I cried. "It's over Brooke. There's no going back from what I said."


	44. Chapter 44

The trial went much easier after Damien's outburst. He was no longer allowed in the court room. His lawyer tried to get a mistrial because he thought that the jury was "poisoned" by seeing Damien attack someone. Duh. But it was his own damn fault for losing it in front of them and just proving how much of a douche he truly was. The jury was out and we were simply waiting for the verdict. Mike had no doubts our case was a victory.

I hadn't seen or heard from Nathan in two weeks, but I didn't really expect to. I thought about him constantly. Remembering the words I said to him made me sick. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to hear them directed at me. Whenever I was actually able to sleep, I dreamed about him. Which is what brought me here. Standing outside an old friend's house. Praying he hadn't changed. If he was still the same person, he would have the proof that I needed to know what the bet truly was. When he opened the door, I couldn't help but smile at his goofy grin. At least that hadn't changed.

"Haley?"

Okay, yeah, maybe it was a little weird showing up on his doorstep after so long, especially when I probably shouldn't even know where he lives. Thankfully, Brooke is on the reunion committee and knows everyone's information.

"I know this is totally creepy…" I started before I was cut off with a hug.

"How the hell are ya? What are you doing here?"

"I'm pretty sucky," I told him honestly. "Which is why I'm here. I hate to do this, but I'm gonna be one of those bitches that disappears for years and comes back only because she needs something. Something that you probably don't even have anymore…"

He cut me off once again and just started laughing. "Come on in, Haley. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you might still have some of your old podcasts from high school."

"Are you kidding me? I'm Marvin McFadden, you expect me to throw away such magic? I've only got about four Oak Lake games though, so I don't know how they'd help you."

"I'm not actually looking for Damien. Well, I kind of am, but I'm not. We're divorced."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"Do not be sorry, Mouth. It is the best thing that could ever have happened to me. Maybe second best thing… which is why I'm here. Do you remember when Nathan and Damien had the fight before the game where they both got kicked out?"

"You mean the fight about the hot virgin? Of course. I got that gold on video. Best blackmail ever!"

"What?" I asked, completely taken aback. Mouth using blackmail? Against who? And how?

"Oh yeah. Didn't you ever wonder how I got exclusive interviews with Mr. Popular? Him fighting over a girl who wasn't his cheerleader girlfriend was just dynamite for my career."

"Your career?" I laughed.

"Do not make fun of me, little one. I know you watch me do sports every night."

"Okay, sure bud." Of course I really didn't watch him every night. I couldn't even tell you what channel he's on, but I need to see this video and it needs to be soon. "Do you think I could borrow that video?"

"Borrow? Sorry, no. But I could stage a private viewing. In my living room."

Wow. This kid was still weird as always. "Okay." I followed him into what I could only describe as a man cave. Except it's not really for a man, but an AV nerd. It's as if he has his own AV closet in his house. It was insanely organized. I realized now that he was even smarter than I gave him credit for when he walked right up to the wall and picked out the exact video I wanted without even having searched. On second thought, maybe that doesn't make him smart, just OCD. This experience has definitely made me realize that I was not the biggest geek in high school like I had originally thought.

I took a seat in his "viewing room" and my leg immediately started shaking. Crazy nervous energy was running through my body as I waited for him to press play. Unfortunately, he didn't seem ready to push the button which just made my skin boil with impatience.

"Ya know, I never realized it was you," he said, a bit disbelieving.

"What was me?" I asked, playing along.

"The girl they were fighting over. I never saw who they were looking at. I wasn't actually there when it happened. Of course, I go to the bathroom for one minute and I miss everything. I had set my camera up before I left though, so I still got it, but I just never expected you."

"Yet, I was the only tutor from Tree Hill that ever dated Damien. Way to put two and two together, Mouth." He really was dense sometimes.

He let out a bit of a laugh as he realized how stupid that was before he continued. "I just never thought… you know, he was Nathan Scott. Why would he like you?"

"Yeah… I wonder the same thing every day."

"Every day?" Mouth asked as he cocked his eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I'm kind of with Nathan. Or I was. I don't really know right now which is why I really need to see this video."

If the size opening of his mouth at this moment was any indication, the idea of Nathan and I being a couple obviously never entered his mind. Most likely it never crossed the mind of anyone we graduated with. In a way, it made me want to laugh, but it also made me want to cry. Honestly though, I had been crying at the drop of a hat these days. I guess that's just what happens when you feel your heart being ripped in several different directions at once.

I quickly recomposed myself before spewing some stupid joke and finally getting Mouth to turn on the video

_Flashback/Video_

"_Looks like my new tutor showed up to watch," Damien snickered as he nodded his head toward me._

_Nathan looked behind him to see me, acting as if he hadn't known I was there the whole time when he had really noticed the second I walked in. "You don't even go to her school fucktard. She can't tutor you."_

"_Oh, but I am sooo going to school her."_

"_What is that even supposed to mean?" Nathan asked, already getting tired of the conversation._

"_I hate to say it man, but you were right. She is one hot virgin. I am going to have so much fun spreading those legs."_

_Nathan's face turned red as he inched his face closer to Damien's. "Don't you dare talk about her like that."_

"_Aww, little Natey's afraid of some competition. You're not gonna back out on our bet now, are you?"_

"_She is not just some bet."_

"_You're right, but she's still one that I'm going to win. Damn, virgins are always fun, but this one is gonna be even more gratifying."_

_The words were barely out of his mouth before you saw Nathan plunge at him, fist first. It took a few seconds before Damien came back to his senses and threw his first punch. Jake was between them in a matter of seconds, ripping Nathan away, but he got a few more hits in. You could see him seething. He was fiercely trying to protect me. And I never even knew it._

"Wow…"

"That boy had it bad." Mouth smiled before popping the VHS out of the VCR. "Did you get the answer you wanted?" he finally asked seeing that I was still staring at a blank screen.

"I married an asshole," I thought out loud.

"Yeah… I'm sorry I never put it together, Haley. I would have told you if I knew they were talking about you."

"I know you would have Mouth. You're a good guy."

"So is Nathan. Well, at least after we graduated. But obviously, you've always been in his heart."

"So why did Damien ask me out and not him?"

"That's a damn good question, but not one I can really answer. Maybe you should ask Nathan. When you go to make up with him."

"I've asked him a million times and it still doesn't make sense to me. Anyways, the making up part does sound good. Thanks so much for everything."

"No problem. See you at the reunion?"

"Of course." I gave him a very thankful hug and rushed out of there as quick as I could. I had somewhere I needed to be.


	45. Chapter 45

**Yay! Everyone should be excited for the quick update! (aka my exam studying procrastination) Hope you enjoy!**

I had been knocking on the door for five minutes and nobody had answered. I was getting ready to turn around and go home when the door finally opened. My breath caught in excitement until I saw Brooke on the other end.

"Hey. Ready to make up?"

"Hoping to," I sighed as I walked in and gave her a quick hug.

"Good. It's about time. Unfortunately, he isn't here."

"Where is he?"

"Working. He's been pulling more shifts lately than any of the nurses I know."

"That's so weird," I said, knowing that when he did that it meant he wouldn't always be teamed up with Jake.

"Ehh, not really. Spare time isn't really best for the heartbroken."

"I definitely learned that the past few weeks."

"You really haven't talked to him once?"

"I was horrible to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to talk to me again."

"Even if he didn't want to, he couldn't stop himself from talking to you. Not that you even have to worry about that. He is so in love with you, Hales. He's missed you like crazy."

I had to laugh at how weird this was. "You just called me Hales. How crazy is that? I mean, who would have ever thought that we'd be friends?"

"Thank God we weren't friends in high school. I would have absolutely no respect for you. Those bitches were so petty and easily manipulated. Not to mention vapid and simply robotic."

"Sounds like you built some pretty meaningful friendships there."

"No way. I don't even talk to those people anymore. Except for Nathan. You chose much better friends. Jake is a pretty solid guy."

"Yeah, I got lucky with him. It looks like I'm stuck with him though. I heard he's proposing to my sister."

"You got lucky with Nate too. I must get back to my fiancé… I love saying that word. Anyways, you can go on up to his room. He'll probably be back late or early whichever way you see it. I'm sure he'd love to come home to you in his bed though."

LINEBREAK

There was no doubt that I had missed Nathan the past two weeks. Not only had he not been there to talk to, but he hadn't been there to hold me and protect me. I hoped that he had missed me as much as I missed him. Saying I craved him might be more accurate than the word 'miss'. I slipped off my clothes before I slid under the covers to wait for him. A little bit of an incentive couldn't hurt, right?

I was awoken when the light flicked on. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 4 AM. Without moving, I stayed in the bed as I watched him throw his jacket on the floor and let out a frustrated moan.

"Rough day?" I asked.

I laughed a bit when I saw him jump not knowing that I was in the room with him.

"Rough two weeks is more like it."

"I know what you mean," I sighed as I sat up making sure to keep myself covered. "I am so sorry Nathan. I was horrible to you and you didn't deserve it. I should have just trusted you because you have never given me any reason not to. I love you and I was stupid not to listen to you."

I tried to keep apologizing, but before I knew it, Nathan was on top of me, kissing me and dispelling all thoughts I previously had of him not feeling the same as I did. When it got to the point where we needed air, he still refused to take his lips off of me as he kissed down my neck. I felt his lips move down to my shoulder when he suddenly stopped. He looked up at me for a second with a quizzical yet devious look on his face. He looked back at my shoulder before the grin completely took over his face. Rolling over, he lifted the bed sheets to take a peek at my naked form which he had obviously noticed when finding no clothing straps on my shoulder.

His hands quickly found their way onto my body as I heard him let out a moan. "God, I missed you." He placed a solo kiss on my chest before covering me back up and getting up from the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked, completely baffled by his sudden change as I watched him walk away from me.

He didn't answer, only walking to the door and shutting it. His clothes were off by the time he made it back to the bed, leaving both of us only wearing smiles. I couldn't help but raise myself up to meet his kiss, not wanting to be apart from him another second. Simply saying I missed him couldn't describe what either of us were feeling. We knew we had to show each other the only way we knew how.

* * *

Damn, it felt comfortable lying in his arms. It was 8 AM and I was wide awake. Considering I fell asleep at 10 waiting for Nathan to get home, I wasn't that surprised. Unfortunately he got home at 4 and spent a bit more time wearing himself out before finally going to bed only two hours ago. I wonder if I could really just lie in his arms until he woke up. He probably won't wake up for at least another six hours though. Ugh. The struggles of my life. To get up or not to get up. Such a difference one night can make. Your worries can easily go from being alone forever to being alone for an hour.

"I love you too," I heard Nathan mumble.

"Who do you love?" I asked, thinking he was dreaming.

"You," he said, grabbing my hand that had been laying on his chest. "Your beautiful finger kept writing 'I love you' over and over again on my chest. So I said, 'I love you too'."

Wow. I hadn't even realized what I was doing. I guess I'm just wrapped up in the moment of having Nathan near me again. You wouldn't believe how great it feels.

"What are you doing today?" he asked, barely opening his eyes.

"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it. What time do you go in?"

"I don't," he smiled, finally opening his eyes all the way, hoping to gage my reaction.

"Really?" I asked. Pretty damn lucky that I picked the day he didn't have to work.

"Not if I don't want to. I'm sure they'd be happy to not have to pay me any more overtime. I'm overworked as it is."

"Yeah? You didn't seem too overworked last night…"

We heard the doorknob turn and both looked in confusion when we saw Brooke's head poke in. When she saw that both of us were still in the room a huge smile came across her face. She opened the door a bit wider and started jumping and clapping her hands. "Yay! I see you guys talked it over and… uh figured things out. Let me tell you, I quite frankly am relieved that I don't have to listen to either of you pathetic losers anymore. I really didn't mean to interrupt though. Just making sure there were two people in here and not just one. I'll be on my way." She turned around getting ready to leave before sticking her head back in. "Oh, and congrats. Kisses." She blew us a kiss and scurried back out of the room leaving both of us pretty mystified.

"Some things never change." Nathan laughed a little before fully sitting up and completely changing his demeanor. "She did make a good point though. We haven't actually talked about anything. We just kind of fell into bed together."

"Well, we missed each other. And I apologized. Is that not enough? I mean, do you need more from me?"

"No, I just think we need to talk about it a bit more. I mean, if you really feel the way you said, how are we supposed to work? If everyday you think that I ruined your life, how can I ever truly make you happy?"

"You do make me happy," I tried to convince him, although it didn't seem to work. I gave him a kiss, hoping that might let him understand, but it didn't. "I didn't mean what I said. I don't really feel that way. I wish I could take it back, but I can't and I just hate that it'll always be out there and you'll doubt how I feel about you. About us. It's not your fault. And it's not Taylor's fault. It's my fault for not seeing Damien for who he really was. He gave me plenty of opportunities, but I was ignorant. He made me feel like I was worthless and no one else could ever love me like he did. Which really makes it mostly his fault. But I know the truth. I know that you didn't lie to me. I mean, I know that it wasn't about sex. And I know that you didn't even want to take part in it, but it was just foolish pride that you couldn't back down. I get it now. I know that you love me and would never do anything to hurt me."

After my long speech, Nathan didn't even say a word. Or look at me really. He just laid back against the bed's headboard and stared ahead. Not exactly the reaction I was expecting. He looked like he was thinking things over, so I just stayed quiet and let him think. When he finally spoke, his words were once again surprising to me, "Two weeks, Hales. Two weeks without a word. Then one night I come home to find you naked in my bed. What took you so long to believe me? Why now? What changed?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but I went to see Mouth. He had a video of the fight between you and Damien. I saw everything. I know that you didn't want any part of it, but Damien had just already made up his mind. I know how much you wanted to protect me. I could see it in your eyes."

As I looked at his eyes now(not in them because he wasn't even looking at me) I couldn't see anything near what I saw on that video and it scared me.

"You saw a video?" he asked as he finally looked at me with a questioning look.

"I know! It's crazy, right? The fact that Mouth still had it is ridiculous!"

"That's not really what I meant," he said, shaking his head. "I mean, it is crazy and quite ridiculous, but not that he still had the video. It's ridiculous that you had to watch a video to believe me. That you couldn't just trust your boyfriend. Trust that I love you and wouldn't lie to you. That should be proof enough. Honestly, I don't know if I really want an apology that isn't pure."

"It is pure. Nathan, I trust you wholly. You have to know that."

"Then why is my love not proof enough?"

"Because I didn't know you then. We never spoke. I don't know what kind of person you were. All I knew was that you were a hot shot player both on and off the court. I guess I just needed proof that your heart was as pure then as I know it is now."

"You don't get it, Haley."

_Haley. _Trust me, that didn't go unnoticed by me. It's always either Hales or baby or sweetie or a million other pet names. But rarely is it Haley. And when it is, it usually isn't good. It's like a parent using a full name. This conversation was taking a surprising turn and I didn't like it at all.

"Who I was then doesn't matter. You should know who I am now and know that I'll always be honest with you. And to be honest, it hurts me that you would believe Damien over me. After everything he's done to you, he should be the last person you trust. But you trust him over the person who loves you most in this world. And it breaks my heart that you feel that way and feel that insecure in our relationship."

"That's not why I went to see Damien, Nathan."

"Then why did you?"

"I didn't go see Damien about the bet. Not really. I went to see Damien because I wanted to know… no, I needed to know if he had ever loved me. You don't know what this is like for me. I loved Damien, despite everything that happened, I loved him and I always thought that he had loved me too. That's the reason I stayed with him. I had to know the truth. I had to find out if I was married for eight years to a man that never loved me just because he wanted to be better than his high school rival."

"Well, was he? In love with you?"

"I'm still not sure," I said as I let a solo tear fall down my cheek.

Instead of the instinctual grab Nathan does for me every time I cry, I watched as he got out of the bed and walked into his bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I quickly wiped my eyes, hoping to rid myself of any more tears that threatened to fall and started grabbing my clothes.

When Nathan reappeared, he was fully dressed and seemed a bit cut off. "I'm sorry, but I can't be the guy you want me to right now. I can't hold you and tell you everything is going to be okay. I wish I could, but I can't. Not right now. I've got to go. I promised Jake I'd help him move today."

"He moved in last week, Nathan." Did he seriously think he could lie his way out of this?

"Yeah, I know. I was there for them, helping them move. Unlike you. Even though it is your best friend and your sister. But apparently you couldn't handle seeing me. Just like I can't handle seeing you right now."

"So you're making up a lie to get rid of me? Maybe that's why I needed proof!"

"I'm not making up a lie. I told you numerous times that I wouldn't lie to you. Obviously there's nothing I can do to prove that, unless of course you can find another video or maybe just tape my entire life as if I'm on a reality show. It'll be like a new version of 'To Tell The Truth'. Not that I need to explain myself to you right now, but we were busy moving everything else last week and we didn't have a chance to move his pool table which is a two man job. I promised him I'd be there today to help him and I don't break promises. You've proved you know your way out."

Without another word, Nathan was gone. And I was incredibly alone. How could something so great turn into shit so quickly?

**So, who's side are you on this time? I know it's usually been Haley throughout this story, but do you guys think Nathan was right in being mad?**


	46. Chapter 46

**Another quick update. Thanks for all the reviews! They get me so excited to write more. I love that you guys are enjoying it!**

"I brought your mail," Brooke grinned when I opened my front door to find her. "You look like shit, Hales. I refuse to go out in public with you when you look this way."

"Then don't come with me," I groaned.

"Oh, looky what I found!" she squealed as she pulled out a bright colored envelope.

"An invitation to your bridal shower? I'm thrilled," I told her with as little expression possible.

"Are you serious, Haley James? You think I would have such tacky invitations? I am appalled. Besides, there would be no chicken scratch on my envelope, I prefer simple calligraphy."

For once I truly looked at the letter she held in her hand and immediately recognized the handwriting. "Nathan!" I screamed as I ripped it out of her hands and ran with it to the couch. Four days and nothing. I could only assume that he was trying to show me how it felt to be left alone with nothing for two weeks, but maybe I was wrong. If he wrote me a letter, that had to mean something. I ripped open the envelope and pulled out a greeting card. On the front it had a picture of a dog that definitely looked like Charlie. I opened to only find the words 'Congrats'. Not an epic card. I looked up at Brooke who was waiting expectantly to see what it was. "It's nothing," I said, hanging my head.

Brooke walked up to me to put her arm around me and take the card from my hands. "It's not nothing," she said before preceding to read aloud Nathan's words to me. "Mike kept me informed on the trial. Congratulations. I'm so glad it's all over for you. Always and forever, Nathan." She looked back up at me before holding out the card and once again pointing to the last line, "Always and forever Haley! It's something! He's trying to reach out to you. He obviously cares enough to keep track of the trial. I wasn't even considerate enough to send you a card!"

"Yeah, because you came and told me in person. Like a real friend would. And where is the 'I love you'?"

"You know he loves you. And you know that he should be the one going with you today."

"But he's not. Because he's not talking to me."

"Dammit I hate this. And I really hate what you're wearing. Now go put on a top that shows off your growing boobs. And yes, they are growing so I don't even know why the hell we're going. You know this is going to start so many rumors around the hospital and me."

"So then why don't we go somewhere else?" I asked, knowing how much simpler that would be.

"Because I don't trust anybody else. Now get out of those dirty sweatpants. Ohhh, a velour sweatsuit and a cami. That would be perfect and I could actually be seen with you. You'll look sick enough, but not deathly ill as if you're contagious. Oh I'm a genius."

"Okay. Give me five minutes."

LINEBREAK

"Could I not just pee on a stick?" I asked as we settled into the hospital room/

"No way. I don't trust those things."

"Apparently you don't trust anything!"

"Okay, you totally don't want to know this, but I'm telling you anyways. You'll get over it, you're resilient. Anyways, back in high school, I took one of those pregnancy tests that you get in the grocery store. Totally positive. Most traumatic experience of my life. Just try and imagine me crawling to Nathan's front door as tears are flowing from my eyes. I look like shit. Even worse than you do right now. Like, my life was over. I would never marry rich and the only thing I had to look forward to was knowing that I'd be the hottest and youngest mom."

"Really? You're telling me a horror story now? Involving Nathan?"

"Well, it turns out I wasn't pregnant. It was a false positive and ruined everything for no reason."

"What do you mean it ruined everything? What did Nathan do? Like, how did he react? Was he absolutely horrible? Oh my God, this is going to be horrible. I know it. I can't do this." I got up from my seat on the table and tried to rush out of the room, but Brooke grabbed me before I really got anywhere.

"Hales, there's a huge difference between this and back then. Back then we were kids. And we weren't in love. At all. He loves you."

"Not right now he doesn't. He would have said it in the card if he did."

"Always and forever Hales. That's his way of saying I love you. And he will love you forever. You're just going through things right now. Every couple does."

A familiar girl walked through the door in scrubs. "Hey girlie," Brooke said fakely as the redhead situated herself at the computer.

"Hey, what are you here for today, Brooke?"

"Oh hell no, it is not for me. I have my own doctor on call 24 hours a day. My friend Haley here is… well, I'm quite sure she's preggers, but she likes to pretend she's not simply because she and her boyfriend are fighting."

"Thanks for airing my problems to strangers, Brooke," I said, annoyed with Brooke's input. I brought her here to be helpful, not a brat.

"Oh, come on, Peyton's no stranger. In fact, if I remember correctly, you two ate lunch together quite often when she and Jake were an item."

"My God, Peyton? Your hair! It's red! And straight!"

"Yeah, felt like I needed a change."

"Well, you look gorgeous. I knew you looked familiar, I just never expected you to not be a curly blonde."

"It's been eight years. A lot of things change."

"Oh my God," I said throwing my head down in my hands.

"Wow, let the melodrama begin. Hales, your hormones should not be out of whack this early, so really babe, calm it down," Brooke said as she lifted my head.

"You know what, I'm pretty sure I have the authority to freak out when every girl in this room has slept with the father of this baby you are so sure is inside of me!"

"You slept with Jake?" Peyton squealed looking at Brooke. I guess she figured like the rest of our class that Jake and I would end up together.

"Eww, no. No offense to Jake, but no. It just so happens that Nathan and Haley are bumpin uglies."

"Really, Brooke?" She could be so immature some times.

When I looked back at Peyton her mouth was simply agape. It always makes me feel so much more secure in my relationship when people seem completely shocked by it. Really.

"I can't believe the kid finally grew some balls!" she finally said.

"What?" Not exactly the same reaction I had gotten from Mouth.

"That stupid boy was always staring at you. It was so obvious. That's why we broke up. I guess poor Brooke didn't catch on." She sent Brooke a fake sympathetic look and I couldn't help but laugh knowing the whole story behind why Brooke stayed with him. "So, now that we're all caught up, what are your symptoms?"

"Well, obviously, I'm late."

"How late?"

"Two weeks. But I've been really stressed lately, so it could just be that."

"See, excuses," Brooke interjected waving her arms at me.

"Any other symptoms?" Peyton continued.

"Well, I've been throwing up some, but I just attributed that to being upset. I'll throw up sometimes when I cry a lot. And I've been really tired, but that could also be because I'm been crying so much. I started getting cramps too, so I figured that I must be about to have my period, but that's when Brooke told me that I had to come in."

"It's always good to listen to a trained nurse. What did Clay say?"

"Clay does not know. Wait, does Clay know?" I asked, turning to Brooke. I hadn't even thought of her telling Clay, who would obviously tell Nathan.

"No, he doesn't know. Well, he knows that we're here, but not why."

"I will so blame you if he tells Nathan," I warned.

"Melodramatic," she sang, making it seem like Nathan finding out about this from someone else wasn't a big deal.

"Okay, so I guess I'll get some blood from you and bring you a cup to pee in."

I gave Brooke an evil look, knowing that peeing in a cup here is just as simple as peeing on a stick at home. "Could have done this at home… no fuss," I growled.

"Do you want me to repeat my story?" Brooke asked as we watched Peyton leave the room. She had to have felt awkward seeing me and Brooke interact as we did now.

Before I could even roll my eyes we heard a commotion in the hall. Curiosity getting the better of us, we rushed to the door to see what was going on. When we looked into the hall, I very clearly saw Nathan in a frenzy. I stepped back into my room and pulled Brooke with me, shutting the door. This time the muffled noise now was very clear. He was yelling my name at the top of his lungs. I looked at Brooke to let her know I was clearly pissed off. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut. You had to tell Clay."

Brooke just rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over it." Before I could stop her, she opened the door and escaped into the hall. "Down here," she screamed as she waved her hand high in the air.

"I hate you," I told her.

"Love you too," she said before she pushed Nathan into the room and left us alone.

I had already moved myself back to the table and sat down in my unfortunate looking hospital gown. He quickly rushed to me and pulled me up and hugged me close as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Nathan," I told him before pushing him away and sitting myself back down.

"Then why are you in the hospital?"

"A better question is why are you here? And why are you suddenly talking to me? And why were you screaming?"

"I was downstairs taking a statement and someone told me they saw you walk in. I was yelling because no one would tell me where you were. They didn't care that I was your boyfriend, I wasn't family so apparently I'm not allowed to know where you are so I screamed until I found you. And I'm talking to you because I love you and I'm worried about you and my heart would break all over again if anything happened to you."

"I'm fine, Nathan," I repeated

As soon as the words were out of my mouth Peyton walked in with my cup and placed it on the table. "I see you two made up."

"Not exactly," I groaned.

"Sorry, well, just whenever you're ready. This is here."

"Thanks," I nodded as I watched her leave again.

"They're running tests on you?" he asked, his worrying increasing.

"Nathan, I told you, I'm fine."

"Then why are they running tests on you?"

"Why don't you know why they're running tests on me?" I returned bitterly. Of course I know it was my fault for the way things were between us, but that doesn't mean I can't be mad about it.

"You know why, Haley. But just because we're fighting doesn't mean we need to withhold important things from each other. Like, why did I have to hear from Mike that the trial was over? Isn't that something you should have told me yourself?"

"I didn't think you'd want to hear from me."

"Of course I wanted to hear from you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. When great things happen in your life, I want to be there. I want to be able to celebrate with you. I don't want to have to send you a damn note. And when something bad happens in your life, I want to be there too. So whatever this is, whatever is wrong with you. I want to be there."

"How am I supposed to know that after the way we left things?"

"For the same reason this whole fight started."

"I'm sorry," I told him when I realized I hadn't said those words yet. "You're right, I should have trusted you more. And I shouldn't blame it on my past relationship. But, honey, I might just need some time to learn to trust again. And I hope that you love me enough to give me a little bit of a grace period because I'm not gonna change overnight."

"You know I do," he said before kissing me. Even after just four days it felt like I hadn't kissed him in weeks.

I caught a glimpse of the cup Peyton had brought in and quickly pushed him away. "This is how we got ourselves into this situation in the first place, so back up off boyfriend."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, obviously confused. That's when I realized that I still hadn't told him why I was here.

I hopped up from the table and smiled, "I'm going to go pee in this cup and see if you can figure it out in that time. If not, you may never know. No, you'll definitely figure it out in a few months when I'm huge and absolutely repulse you."

I scurried out the door to the hall in the direction of the bathroom but before I got there I felt a tug on my hips. Before I knew it I was up against the wall with a serious attack on my lips. "You're pregnant?" he finally asked with a huge smile on his face.

"We'll see… if you ever get off of me."

**So, is she or isn't she?**


	47. Chapter 47

When I got back to my room, Nathan was sitting in the chair with his legs shaking like crazy. I could only smile at how cute he looked. I started walking over to the table but he swooped in, pulling me into his lap instead. Definitely a place I belonged.

"I didn't mean to get your hopes up," I told him. "Nothing's for sure just yet. Brooke wouldn't let me take a test at home. She kept going on about your high school trauma."

"I can't believe she told you about that," Nathan said with a mortified look on his face.

"Yeah, neither can I," I said as I rested my forehead on his shoulder. He looked so scared that Brooke might have shared some high school secret that I had to use it to my advantage. I had to keep my head looking down so he wouldn't be able to tell when my smile inevitable popped up. "It was horrible Nathan. She was telling me how she didn't think it was possible to get pregnant if you weren't in a bed. I guess that's what her mom told her or something. So she said that you were in the back of the car and she really thought, 'we're laying down, I should get a condom' but she didn't. Because it wasn't a bed. She was just so upset because she said you never had sex in a bed and she just didn't understand it." Okay… remember when I said I was the worst liar ever? It will always hold true, but I like to make up stories when I'm bored or just want to fuck with someone's head.

"Oh my God! That's why we could never have sex in a bed?" Nathan asked as if a sudden realization had come to him. I looked up and my mouth fell agape. "Damn. I always thought it was the thrill of getting caught."

After a few moments of me sitting in his lap simply staring at him he started laughing like crazy. "I was kidding, Hales. Come on, that was the worst fake story I've ever heard. Remember, I was there…"

I quickly recomposed myself as my brain started working again. "So how did you react? Really. She didn't actually tell me."

"Not good. I was kid. I was a jerk. And I wasn't in love with her. Honestly, I'm just glad it was a false alarm. I don't know what I would have done." After a few moments of silence Nathan figured he needed to backpedal. "That's not how I feel now," he rushed out.

"I didn't think it was. But I told you, I might not be pregnant."

"If you're not pregnant, it's okay. We have forever to try. And I definitely love trying."

"You really want a baby?" I asked as I searched his eyes for the truth.

"Of course. I want everything with you, Hales."

_Hales._ There it was again."You called me Hales."

"I always call you Hales."

"Not when we're fighting. You call me Haley when we fight. I hate it."

"Well then, how about we not fight?"

"Right, because that's possible."

"Okay, well how about we don't fight to the point where we don't see each other. I don't think I can handle another of it. In fact, I think I want you to move in with me."

"You think?"

"No. I know I want you to move in with me."

"Nathan, we talked about this. It's way too soon for that."

"But it's not too soon to have a baby together?"

"Not intentionally," I reminded him. He did have a valid point. But I needed to argue the point a little further, make sure it was really something he wanted. Or something he had thought through in the least bit. "You have a roommate to consider, a roommate who isn't too fond of me. I doubt he'd appreciate me moving in without you even asking his permission."

"I've already got that covered."

"How exactly could you already have that covered?"

"Well, considering you took twenty minutes in the bathroom, I had a bit of free time on my hands. I simply told your new BFF that I was tired of seeing her face all the time. Living next to her was bad enough, I do not need her roaming my house half naked all the time. She and Clay are getting married so it's about time they move in together. I also told her that now was that time and he would move into her house, leaving me alone in my house. Which I do not approve of and neither does she. So, we decided since you're getting a new place anyways, why not move into mine? That way I won't be alone."

I gave him a quick kiss to know it was appreciated, but not enough of a kiss to say yes. "Honey, you do know that is the worst way I have ever heard of a guy asking a girl to move in with him. Even Damien was more romantic. I really expected better from you."

"What if I said I love you and I don't want to waste another second being apart from you. And I want to be there through this whole pregnancy or not pregnancy. I don't want to miss a moment."

I felt a wrenching in my gut at his last words. Although I knew his intentions were pure, it just didn't feel right. I tried to stand up, but he grabbed me and pulled me back down. "Just let me get up for a sec, babe." He finally let me get up so that I could sit on the doctor's stool and have a better look at him, but not have to be in full contact with him. I unintentionally let out a sigh trying to prepare myself for a backlash. "I'm not wanting to fight again. And I'm not being crazy insecure, just a little insecure. I know you love me and I know you want to be with me, but I can't help but think a little that you want to move in together just because I could be pregnant. What if I'm not? Will you feel the same? Maybe we should wait until we know for sure before we make any rash decisions."

"Remember when you wanted to give me a drawer when you found a new place? A toothbrush and maybe even half the closet?"

"Yeah."

"You knew then that I wanted this. I wanted us, together. I wanted to wake up with you every morning, without even thinking you were pregnant at all."

"So whether this test is positive or negative, you'd want to live with me, no matter what?"

"No matter what."

"Fine! I'll do it. Let's do it."

"You know, honey, I think that's the worst accepting to move in that I've ever heard. I mean, even Clay's was better."

"Well, if we weren't where we are, I'd probably just take you right now. But, we're in a hospital room, one in which your ex-girlfriend, sorry, ex-girlfriends could walk in at any minute."

"So we're leaving," he said as he grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room.

"No, we're not," I told him as I sat back down so that he couldn't move me. I haven't even seen the doctor and they still need to draw blood."

"I know where the lab is. I'll take you there. And Clay is a doctor, he can do whatever you need. And for free. Soo let's go."

"You're forgetting something, babe."

"What?"

"My clothes?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely put those on. No, wait, let me see." He took off my gown and knelt down to examine my stomach. "You're totally pregnant," he said as he put a hand to it. "I can tell."

"I wouldn't be showing yet, Nathan. You pretty much just called me fat."

"Dear God, Nathan Scott. You haven't changed a bit," Peyton huffed as she walked in the door to take the urine sample. "At least she's still in her underwear."

"He thinks I'm pregnant," I explained to Peyton. "I tried to tell him that I might not be, but he refuses to believe me. He was just making sure that I was. Nothing perverted, I promise."

"Which means that now you actually did make up?"

"And if you'd hurry up, I might actually get some make-up sex."

"You know, I almost took back what I said about you not changing, Nate, but I'm glad I didn't."

"He'll never change," Brooke commented as she strutted through the door. And yes, she really did strut. "I'll take her to the lab for you," she said as she grabbed me by the arm and yanked me out of the room.

"Are we playing Musical Haley?" I asked, making myself laugh at being swapped around with Brooke and Nathan.

"If I knew what that meant… sure. I just wanted to know if we're going to be neighbors!"

"God, I don't know. I guess if I really am pregnant, then yeah. But if I'm not, I don't know."

"Wait, so if you're not pregnant, you don't want to live with him?"

"I don't know, Brooke. IF I am pregnant, that means I got pregnant the exact night I got divorced. How do I go from divorcee to new mom with a new dad in one night?"

"How do you know it was that night?"

"Because I wasn't on the pill. I mean, Damien and I had been trying for a baby. And I was pregnant. You were there! Then I lost the baby. I wasn't planning on sleeping with anyone and I sure as hell wouldn't sleep with anyone while I was still married. Then I would have been just as bad as Damien."

"Wait, you're saying that even when you and Nathan had sleepovers, you didn't have sex?"

"Of course not!"

"Oh my God, that's crazy! Clay is sooo going to love this!"

"Seriously? Nathan told him about a million times that we weren't sleeping together."

"Haley… we're talking about Nathan here. Nathan Scott."

"Still, his best friend should believe him. No matter what his reputation might be."

"I'm just… impressed. It shows how much he really loves you. I mean, seriously, we were fucking before we were even a couple."

My hands instinctively flew to my ears. I love Brooke, even though she's a new friend, but she can be a bit too open sometimes. I don't think it would bother me so much if she wasn't talking about MY boyfriend. "Once again, something I did not need to hear. How come everyone I know has slept someone I have. Considering I've only slept with two people, that is seriously not right!"

"Who slept with Damien?"

"My sister!"

"Oh snap! Dang girl, that is fucked up."

"I know. Oh my God! What if she slept with Nathan too?"

"Nathan only slept with girls he dated. His reputation was way overblown, just the way he wanted it. You're safe on that one. I could give you a list if you want."

"Uh, NO! That's horrible Brooke! Who would want to know everyone their boyfriend has been with? Well, actually, I would kind of want to know who all Damien slept with. But that's different. I just want to know who all the whores are that I shouldn't trust. Maybe put x-lax in their morning coffee."

"Haley James, I never expected you for the vengeful type."

"It's not like I'd actually kill them or anything horrible."

"Which is why you're great. I'd beat those bitched down. We're here," Brooke said as she literally pushed me into the lab.

"I think you're more excited about this than I am."

"Which is still not as excited as Nathan. I think his every dream has come true."

"Damn straight," Nathan said as he ran into the room completely out of breath.

"You know in, like, five minutes they're going to have the results," Brooke informed me.

"So why exactly are they drawing my blood?"

"In case you're not. To see if something is wrong with you. And if you are to make sure everything else is okay. Man up, Bucko!"

"Awww, are you afraid of needles?" Nathan asked as if I was a baby.

"Absolutely not. My years as a heroine addict cured me of that fear."

Nathan and Brooke looked at each other with a look of total shock. I thought that their eyes were going to fly out of their head their eyes they were bugging out so much. "Joke, guys."

"I knew that," they said simultaneously.

"No, but seriously, distract me or I'll vomit." I sat down in the chair and directed the technician to take the blood from my left arm. I absolutely hate it when they do the right arm. You feel like you can't move it for hours and being right-handed makes that difficult. "So, how about you distract me by telling me exactly who ratted me out."

"Whatever do you mean?" Brooke asked exaggeratedly, obvious that she was in on the whole thing.

"It was you? You whore!"

"It wasn't me! I swear!"

"It really wasn't," Nathan said. His tone was so simple, I knew it was the truth. And if it had been Brooke she would have been giggling like crazy. Every time she puts together a scheme she can't help but laugh when she's caught. Even if she isn't caught she gets caught from laughing.

"Who else here knows me?"

"How about the whole ER? You were a frequent flyer."

"Okay, I take it back. You're not a whore. You're a bitch."

"Too soon?"

"It will always be too soon," Nathan said, obviously not appreciative of Brooke's reminder of my not-so-happy past.

"So who was it? Clay?"

"I'll never teeelll," Brooke said in the style of Brittany Murphy.

"Uncool. You know what, I have the perfect way of getting it out of you." Yes. I am brilliant. They will cave in a matter of seconds.

"Oh yeah? You're so hardcore? What exactly do you have planned?" Nathan asked.

"All done," the technician said.

"Awesome. Thanks." Without another word to the two I skipped off into the hallway.

"The silent treatment?" Brooke asked as she ran to catch up with me. "That is so first grade."

"Oh no. Much better. Have you ever heard of doctor/patient confidentiality?"

"Uh… yeah. I am a nurse."

"Yeah, I know. That was rhetorical. Anyways. It looks like neither of you will know the results. That is, unless you confess."

"That's so illegal," Nathan protested. "As the possible father you can't keep that from me."

"You might be a cop, baby, but you are no lawyer. I don't have to tell you anything. And you know what, even better than that, no more sex for you."

"You wouldn't…"

"I would."

"You love it too much."

"Yes, but you love me more. And I know you can't keep a secret from me for long." I marched myself up to the nurse's station where Peyton was and asked if the results were in.

"Of course. Brooke made sure they put a rush on it."

I ran around the counter and grabbed Peyton on the arm, pulling her into the room I had just left and shut the door. "Sorry, it needs to be a secret. I'm torturing them. They're probably outside with their ears up to the door trying to listen in. I wouldn't put it past Brooke to have somehow found a cup in five seconds hoping to amplify the sound. So please, whispering would be best."

"First, before you get all excited or disappointed, I have a question."

"Shoot," I said as I hopped up on the table.

"How did you get drawn into their world?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Brooke and Nathan. You're best friends with Brooke and you're having Nathan's baby? That's just not you."

"They're not who they were in high school. I'm not either. And you just said I'm having Nathan's baby."

"That's because you are, Haley. You're pregnant. You should set up an appointment with your doctor and then you can find out how far along you are. Congratulations."

My smile nearly broke my face and I jumped up and gave Peyton a hug. "Thank you. So much. Brooke and Nathan cannot know though. Make sure you put my file somewhere that Brooke can't snoop."

"You might want to tone down the smile before you go out there, unless you want to give it away."

I quickly composed myself and tried out my new persona on Peyton. "Better?"

"You might want to try a more depressed look. Make them think that you're not. Then later just spring it on 'em."

"You're brilliant. Okay, one more favor. We tip-toe to the door then just pull it open real fast and make 'em fall! Amazing, right?"

"You might just be the brilliant one."

**Do you know who told?**


	48. Chapter 48

I swung the door open and nearly fell to the ground myself as I watched them land face first on the ground. It was the funniest sight I had seen in a while and I could tell that Peyton felt the same as I heard her familiar cackle.

"You two suck," Brooke growled as she picked herself up off the floor.

"You really don't want to know the results, do you?"

"I already know," Brooke said.

"Mkay," I said, shrugging her off. She didn't know. She was just trying to gage my reaction, but I wasn't going to give in. If she truly knew she wouldn't have been so eagerly standing outside my door. I made sure to step on Nathan as I walked over him and out into the hall. I started walking down the hall backwards so that I could watch the carnage that ensued. It was great. Brooke was following Peyton around like the freshmen used to follow her in high school. Thankfully, Peyton wasn't letting my charts out of her grasp.

Nathan finally got himself up off the ground and followed after me. He was running to catch up with me and I couldn't help but laugh. "You are just so cute when you're desperate."

"You're cute when you're pregnant."

"How would you know if I'm cute when I'm pregnant?" I asked, not taking his bait.

He grabbed my arm to stop me from walking further away, "You're really not going to tell me?"

"Well, if you can't tell me something sooo simple how am I supposed to tell you something so… not simple?"

"You really want to know?"

"I really wanna know."

Nathan just rolled his eyes, he knew there was no way around telling me. He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear so as to not alarm the whole hospital, "It was Clay."

"What! Are you serious? Mister don't get involved with her because it's not of your business got involved with us?"

"He doesn't think that, Hales. He likes you. And he likes you with me. Even if he didn't, he's gonna have to since apparently you and Brooke are BFFs now. Seriously, how did that happen?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm glad he told you. I'm glad you were here."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked as his eyes grew wide and his smile even wider. I didn't even have to answer, my smile told the whole story. He picked me up and swung me around as he kissed me. We had gotten so lost in each other we didn't notice that Brooke had rushed over when she saw us celebrating.

"I knew it!" we heard her scream, forcing us to break apart. She pushed her way between us to give me a hug and she was so excited she was about to cry. When she finally let go of me, she turned around and hugged Nathan with equal strength. "This is so great you guys!"

"Yeah, we know. You're kind of ruining the moment though," I told her.

"Oh whatever. You wouldn't be having this moment if it weren't for me." She looked from me to Nathan and neither of us were going to entertain her idea that this was because of her so she quickly gave up. "Fine! You two go home have crazy hot make-up slash we're having a baby sex. I'm sure I'll hear about it later."

"I'm sure you won't," I assured her.

"What?" Nathan asked not liking the sound of that.

"I didn't say it wasn't going to happen. Just that she won't hear about," I assured him.

"Thank God," he said before lifting me up and carrying me all the way out of the hospital and to his car.

**So, yeah, this was a short chapter, but I hope you liked it. It was hard to decide whether it was going to be Jake or Clay which is why I waited a chapter, but I think it'll make things better between them for Haley to know that he doesn't object to their relationship and that he actually wanted to help.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Sorry it's taken longer for me to post this one. I hope it was worth the wait. Happy Holidays everyone!**

* * *

"What are we going to name it?" Nathan asked giddily as he rested his head on my naked belly. I began to laugh at how crazy he was being and then he put his hand underneath his head, "It's kicking!" he squealed.

"Nathan, it's not kicking. It doesn't even have feet yet."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been pregnant before," I said before realizing what a big mistake it was. I wanted to just eat my words as Nathan looked at me sadly. He lifted his head off my stomach and moved it to beside mine and I could feel the atmosphere completely change. "I'm sorry," I said, simply out of habit.

"Don't be sorry," he said before kissing me. He placed his hand on my stomach where his head had been and it made me feel like it was going to be okay. That Nathan wasn't upset with me for bringing it up. "None of that is your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"It doesn't bother you?" I asked sheepishly, not sure if I really wanted the answer.

"Honestly, it does bother me a little. But pretty much just thinking about you ever being with someone else bothers me. It makes me think that if I had just asked you out in high school, I would your first and only."

"Just try to imagine if I had slept with Clay or Jake. That's pretty much how I feel whenever I think about you and Brooke."

"Do you think…"

"I don't know," I said, knowing what he was going to ask. It was what I had been thinking about since the moment Brooke told me we were going to the doctor. The one thing I couldn't voice. Not only because I didn't want to upset Nathan, but because I couldn't bear the thought.

"I didn't even finish my sentence."

"You didn't have to. You were wondering the same thing."

"Did Peyton say anything about it?"

"I didn't tell her. That's not exactly information I share with everyone."

"But she's Peyton."

"Exactly. I probably would have said something if it was a nurse that I didn't know, but that would just be awkward. She would have to ask questions about it and I'd have to explain everything to her while she just had that look on her face of pity. I didn't want to go there. Besides, Clay already knows, I mean, he was the one who told me the last time. He'd know more than a nurse anyway."

"He should be home soon. Did you want to ask him now or wait?"

"The sooner we know the better."

"I guess, but I'm a bit afraid to know," Nathan said honestly.

"We shouldn't be. I mean, I miscarried because of the abuse. Both times. It's likely that nothing is really wrong."

"You're right," he said as he started rubbing my belly. "We are going to have a beautiful, perfect little baby. What do you think it is?" he asked, his earlier excitement returning full force.

"I don't know," I giggled. "We just found out a few hours ago."

"I know," he whined. "I'm just so excited, I can't help but wanting to know everything about our little one growing inside of you."

"You're going to be a handful the next nine months, aren't you?"

"Worse than the kid will be. Can you really blame me? The woman I love more than anything in the world is carrying a product of that love. Physical proof of just how much I love you. And now, no matter how mad we get at each other, we're going to have to figure it out instead of running away."

"God, I love you," I said dreamily at hearing his sweet words. I could feel my heart racing inside my chest and all I wanted to do was kiss him forever and prove to him once more just how much I loved him.

LINEBREAK

"I'm pretty sure your 'no sex until you're divorced' rule is what made this little guy," Nathan said as he kissed my stomach for at least the hundredth time since we found out.

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"Because I had so many little men built up that I thought it would kill me."

"Well why would you not take care of it yourself?" I asked as I laughed at him. Really? What guy doesn't rub one out to avoid blue balls?

"Because I knew it would never compare to being with you. I mean, after the night we spent together after you gave your statement, I knew everything with you was going to be amazing."

"You're kind of crazy. Want to know what I think made the baby?"

"My irresistibly sexy body?"

"Well, that, and the lack of condoms in my sister's house. You know, for having such an elaborate plan of seducing me, how could you forget condoms?"

"I thought you were on the pill," he said defensively, his voice going up a few octaves.

"Really? Because who exactly was I sleeping with at that time that would make me need to be on the pill?"

"Well, I pretty much spent every second of every day thinking about sleeping with you, I had kind of hoped you had at least had it cross your mind and maybe that thought would prompt you to be on the pill."

"You're such a guy! How do you expect a girl to live up to such high standards in the bed if you've imagined it all beforehand?"

Nathan's eyes bugged out and he began to crawl up my body until our noses were touching, "Trust me baby, you more than lived up to expectations." He gave me a quick kiss before moving back to look me more in the eyes, "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"You know what." Of course I knew what. I always know what he's thinking. Well, almost always. But did I regret sleeping with him? Hell no. Sex with Nathan is… indescribable. But do I regret the consequences?

"I can't say that," I told him once I could finally organize my thoughts. "I can't say our child is a mistake. I also can't say that we are fully prepared for this. Or that it's not way too soon in our relationship for this."

"Can you ever fully be prepared for a baby?"

"You can try for one. Or plan for one. We were kind of surprised with one."

"A happy surprise?" he asked and I could tell I was making him upset with my lack of enthusiasm. That's not to say that I'm not excited about this, it just really wasn't planned.

"Of course it's happy," I assured him as I felt my heart break with how I was making him feel. "I love you and there is no one else I would rather be going through this with. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to be scared out of my mind. Don't you have a little bit of doubt about this?"

"Of course, but none of that outweighs how happy I am."

"I love you and I love this baby. That is all that matters."

"You know this means you're stuck with me forever," he grinned, obviously pleased with himself.

"Oh God, forever?" I exaggerated.

"Maybe even longer."

"Longer than forever? Damn, that's a long time. But you know what?"

"What?"

"Longer than forever sounds pretty damn good. As long as it's with you."

"You're so cheesy," he laughed.

I nearly broke my jaw it snapped open so wide as I gave him a disbelieving look, "I'm cheesy?"

"Way cheesy."

"You're the cheesy one!" I told him as I poked his chest to make my point.

"No, I'm romantic."

"You're cheesy. And you're full of yourself."

"But you love me," he grinned.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his cockiness. But he was right. He is definitely romantic and I can't help but love him. "You're a dweeb," I finally said, not being able to come up with anything better.

"That doesn't sound like you're denying it," he teased.

"Why would I?"

"Because you hate losing."

"You're the one that hates losing, babe. Which reminds me of something," I told him with a smile.

"What?" he asked giddily.

"You know how you thought I hated you over the whole bet with Damien?"

"You're really bringing that up now?"

"Yes, because that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, I was quite a bit peeved with you, but that didn't mean I wasn't still desperately in love with you. I even made sure that it was clear to Damien that you won that bet."

"I don't care about that bet."

"Well, I do. You winning that bet is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know it wasn't about sex for you, but it was for him. He knew down to the day how long it took before we ever had sex. To be honest, I think that broke my heart a bit more."

"I'm sorry, Hales," he said, placing fallen hairs behind my ear. I could tell he felt guilty for how it made me feel, but it was in no way his fault.

I quickly covered his mouth with my fingers, letting him know to shut up because I didn't blame him, "It made me realize that we made love the first night that we were officially a couple. I had waited almost ten months with him because I was never sure that I loved him. I thought the only way I could keep him was to sleep with him. It wasn't making love at all. It was just sex. But with you it was so much more. I was so sure that I loved you that it didn't matter how soon it was. All I knew was that I wanted to be with you. It didn't matter that we didn't have any protection. I knew that I wanted to be with you forever and if something did happen that you would be with me through it all. So the night you won was the same night that we made our future."

"Future… that's a horrible name for a baby."

"Shut up!" I said as I pushed his face away. I was trying to be serious and he's turning it all into a joke. He can be such a brat sometimes.

"I want to pick out a baby name," he whined.

"It's too early. It's beyond early. We don't even know what it is."

"So what? It's ours and that's all that matters."

"Exactly why it doesn't need a name yet."

"Ugh. I guess we can just call it Baby Future for now. What do you think about that Baby Future?" he asked as he moved his head back to my belly. I just rolled my eyes. I guess I'm gonna have to get used to him talking to my stomach instead of me from now on.


	50. Chapter 50

"Good morning, Baby Future," I heard Nathan whisper to my stomach before giving it a kiss.

"Really?" I groaned groggily. "You're not even going to talk to me even more, are you?"

"Good morning, baby," he said as he gave me a kiss.

"Really? We get the same kisses?" I joked.

I could see the smile in his eyes as he leaned forward to kiss me more deeply. "Mmmm," he mumbled, savoring the kiss. "I love you," he said when he finally opened his eyes.

"Much better," I beamed. "Are you going to work?"

"What would make you think that?" he asked sarcastically as he looked down at his uniform.

"That's not nice. Have you ever heard of a segue? That's what it was."

"One of those mall cop things?"

"No, you nerd. That's a segway."

"You're the nerd that uses a segway."

"Shut up. When will you be home?"

"Home? You just called this your home! So when are you officially moving in?" he asked with the giddiness of a school girl.

"You tell me. You're gonna be the one doing all the heavy lifting."

"Tomorrow. I'm not working. It's the perfect opportunity."

"You obviously don't know the effort that goes into packing."

"Fine. Next week then?"

"Next week is good. So, once again, when will you be home?"

"I'm gonna try to convince Jake to eat lunch here, so hopefully around noon or one."

"You don't have to home."

"But I want to. I don't think I can go a whole day without seeing you."

"You're seeing me now and you'll see me when you're off."

"I know, but I just want to make up for lost time. I've missed you like crazy."

I just rolled my eyes at him. He could be so overdramatic sometimes. I thought I was supposed to be the girl in this relationship.

"So I'll see you at lunch. And your hot ass better be here." He gave me another kiss and he was gone. I decided then and there that waking up to my man in a uniform was definitely something I could get used to.

* * *

"Hey baby," Nathan whispered as he came up behind me at the kitchen counter, kissing my neck and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I lifted my arms up and wrapped them around his neck as I turned my head to give him a proper kiss. "You were right," I told him as I saw his face light up. He had an obsession with being right about things and I swear I unintentionally boosted his ego at least 10 degrees. "Waiting until your shift was over is way too long to be apart."

"Oh come on you two. Get a room," Jake scoffed as he walked into the house.

"If you insist," Nathan laughed as he grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards his room.

"Uh, no," I said as I pulled away from him to give Jake a hug. "How are you, Jake?"

"Well, I was good until I was subjected to your unsettling mating ritual."

"Right, because we enjoy seeing you and Quinn the exact same way."

"We are not as bad as you," he objected.

"That's because you're not having…" Nathan started before I put my hand over his mouth and gave him a death glare. We had already talked about not telling anyone until I was at least three months along. It's customary and even though Clay had said we had nothing to worry about, miscarrying was still a worry in my mind. Even though Jake was mine and his best friend, I just wanted to share it with Nathan for a while. They would know soon enough. I had a sneaking suspicion that Nathan wouldn't be able to keep it to himself, which was being proven right now.

"Having what?" Jake asked.

"Incredibly hot make-up sex," Nathan finished as if it was what he was going to say all along.

"Gross, man. I don't want to think about that. Besides, you two made up a week ago!"

"So?" Nathan joked cockily. I really could kill him right now. I always think of sex as a private thing and talking about it makes me quite uncomfortable. But I guess if it kept our secret, I was okay with it. Still, I wasn't that okay with it.

"That's enough," I told him as I once again covered his mouth with my hand. I led him over to the fridge and opened it, "So, what'll it be boys?"

"You do realize we had sex in your bed. Multiple times," Nathan continued heckling Jake.

I saw Jake cringe and I kind of felt bad for him. I knew it was time to really shut him up. "And if you keep talking about us having sex, we won't be."

"You wouldn't…"

"I feel like we've had this discussion before." Seriously. The exact same discussion.

"Yeah, which means you need to quit threatening my manhood."

"Or maybe it means that you need to be a good boy."

"I'm not a dog, ya know?"

"You're right, Charlie is much better trained."

"You just compared me to your dog."

"Actually… he's _our_ dog now. That is if you're wanting me to move in."

"He's not going to sleep in our bed, is he?" he whined as he closed the fridge without taking anything out.

"He sleeps wherever he wants."

"Yeah, you're shit out of luck, Nate," Jake laughed as he pulled out three cheeseburgers from a bag. "That dog is like her child. A very spoiled only child, I might add."

"Sounds like someone I know," I smiled at him. Oh, the days when Nathan had the world in his hands. All the money in the world to do whatever he wanted. He epitomized the spoiled only child. Sometimes I wish I had known him better back then, but other times I'm glad I didn't.

"You know, Hales, if we ever have kids, I'm going to spoil them all rotten."

"Now that's a scary thought," Jake laughed as he threw one of the burgers at Nathan.

"What's so scary about it?" I asked, immediately feeling defensive and maybe appearing it a bit.

"Just, it's a crazy thought, Nathan as a dad."

"I'm going to be a great dad," Nathan vowed. "That is if we ever have kids."

I smiled, knowing that it was true. Who cares what Jake thinks? Nathan loves me and loves our baby. That is all I need to know. It was time to change the topic though, if we dwelled on this, Jake might catch on, especially with the looks we kept sending each other. "So, Jakey, when are you going to pop the question?"

"You told her?" he asked as he punched Nathan in the arm.

"He tells me everything," I grinned as Nathan just nodded in agreement.

"They're sisters, dude! You're not supposed to tell her!"

"Well, you're asking my dad, aren't you?"

"Already did."

"And you think I'm more likely to tell Quinn than he is?"

"I guess you're right. You're dad can't keep anything to himself."

"She's always right," Nathan added. What a suck-up.

"I'm glad that you've learned that already," I joked before giving him a kiss. It was well-deserved. I'm not sure if Damien said I was right ever in our relationship. After ten years of being wrong, nothing felt more right than this. Sitting in what would soon be my kitchen with my two favorite men in the world. Not to mention a baby on the way. Let's add one more thing to the equation… my best friend was about to be my brother. Life was perfect. "So when are you going to ask her?"

"Next week, if I can wait til then. We're going to the beach for the weekend. We'll watch the sunset, we'll talk about how beautiful and perfect it is… I'll tell her how beautiful and perfect she is…"

"You are a cheese ball! I think spending so much time together in a confined space has turned you two gay."

"You're just jealous it's not you," Jake shot back.

"That's a negative. I am so beyond all of that mushy gushy proposal crap. Of course some planning is needed, but not a vacation to some place with an already written out speech. I think it would be so much better at a place that you can frequent. That way every time you pass it you can remember just how much you loved each other in that moment."

"Cheesy," Jake laughed at me. "I hope you're taking notes, Nate."

Nathan pulled his notepad and pen from his uniform and started writing, "I'm on it."

I rolled my eyes at how dorky Nathan could be sometimes as I stuffed the burger down my throat. "This really good," I managed to get out between bites.

"You certainly aren't watching what you eat," Jake joked.

"Punch him!" I told Nathan. It wasn't like I needed to tell him. His fist was already on its way towards Jake. My protector.

"If you call my girlfriend fat again, my fist will be hitting your face instead of your arm," he warned.

Jake rolled his eyes. It didn't matter what Nathan said or did, he would always joke with me about anything and everything. "We better get going."

"Be there in a minute," Nathan said as he shooed Jake away. "I guess you're already eating for two."

"One and a half," I corrected him. "Eating for two makes you fat. Eating for one and a half makes you healthy. After all, Baby Future has not fully developed into a human garbage disposal yet."

"I see you're coming around to the name," he joked.

"I figured it was better than 'he/she' or 'it'."

"Definitely. So, I figured that since we have a baby on the way, it's about time we went out on a proper date."

"Our first date?" I mock gasped.

"Yeah, what do you say?"

"I say that I would be honored to go on a date with my baby-daddy."

"We are so doing this backwards," he laughed.

"Ya think?"

"Yeah… falling in love, then becoming a couple, then getting pregnant before finally going on our first date. We're a little mixed up."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I said before kissing him. "I love you. Now go back to work so I can get all pretty for our date."

"Love you too. And you're already gorgeous," he added before giving me another kiss and another and another. His phone rang and he reluctantly pulled away. "What?"

"Come on!" I heard Jake scream on the other end, causing me to burst into a fit of the giggles.

"I think that's your cue to go."

"But I want to stay," he whined like a baby.

"Too bad. Someone in this family has to be employed. I'll see you soon."

He got in one more kiss before leaving. I was officially a nervous wreck. Our first date was in a matter of hours. First dates suck… not that I actually have experience with that since I've only ever had one first date, but I've heard stories. Horrible, horrible stories. I needed Brooke and now.


	51. Chapter 51

**So I'm trying to figure this deal out. Right now, I have no feelings toward either side of whether it'll be a boy or a girl, so I'm going to set up a poll so that you guys can choose. That is if I can get it to work. So hopefully, that'll be up soon and it should still be a while before I even write that. It should be at the top of my profile, so vote away if you are wanting a certain one!**

"Brooke, this looks horrible," I whined as I continued to look at myself in the mirror. Although I'm only six weeks pregnant, I feel like I'm already showing. Brooke keeps trying to convince me that I'm not, while Nathan is constantly telling me that he can tell. I know I'm just overanalyzing it right now because I'm nervous to go on our first date. I want to look beautiful and skinny for our date. So beautiful that Nathan will never be able to forget it.

"You look gorgeous," Brooke told me as she tugged on my dress. "The material bunching around your stomach makes you look thin. Not that you even need it considering how skinny you already are. You've got weeks before you'll be showing, so quit freaking out about it. Seriously, Haley, there's a reason you can go three months without telling anyone."

"I just don't want Nathan to see me as his pregnant girlfriend tonight. I just want to be his normal girlfriend."

"You will never be his 'normal' girlfriend. You are his dream girlfriend and there is nothing you could ever do to change that."

"That is not helping. I'm stressed enough as it is. How do I live up to his dreams?"

"Quit being such a baby. Nathan loves you and in his mind everything and anything you could ever do is perfect. Now get over yourself. You look hot. And Nathan is going to be here any second."

"Or he'll be here right now," Nathan said from the doorway. I felt completely overdressed as I saw him in the doorway wearing his uniform. "For you," he said as he pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind him.

"They're gorgeous," I cooed as I took them from him. "I'm going to put them in water."

"That'll give me time to get ready," he smiled before giving me a kiss as Brooke and I left him to change.

"You are so spoiled," Brooke laughed as she took out a vase and handed it to me.

"It's so weird. I've never gotten flowers for no reason. It was always a 'sorry I almost killed you again' present with Damien."

"That is messed up, Hales."

"It's the truth."

"That doesn't mean it isn't messed up. But you know what?"

"What?" I asked playing along.

"You're done with all of that. You never have to live life in fear again. You have Nathan now and he's never going to hurt you."

"So true," Nathan interrupted.

"You sure clean up nice," Brooke said as she ruffled up his collar.

"You look good," I said with a smile. That might have been an understatement. He looked hot as hell, but my mind wasn't able to form any more than 'you look good'.

"Yeah? You don't look too bad yourself," he smiled back.

"Awkward," Brooke said swaying back and forth before stepping between us and giving each of us a hug. "Call me tomorrow with the details."

"You're not calling her," Nathan told me very seriously once she was gone. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Are you nervous?" he asked with a smile as he moved forward to wrap his arms around me.

"Well, yeah, it's our first date. I want it to be special. I don't want to mess it up."

"You can't mess it up. Tonight will be great. I promise, you'll never forget our first date."

* * *

"So how was the rest of your day without me?" Nathan asked as he pulled me and my chair closer to him.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to be close to you. We so should have gotten a booth. They are much cozier," he said before leaning over and kissing my neck.

"We never would have eaten if we were that close," I giggled.

"You are so right. So… your day?"

"Horrible," I moaned remembering how I had spent my morning hugging the toilet bowl. "I was sick all morning."

"Why didn't you tell me that at lunch?"

"Because Jake was there. You really want me to tell you I'm having morning sickness in front of him?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who is wanting to keep it a secret."

"Well, it's not with your friends! Brooke and Clay both already know, so we might as well tell the world."

"No," Nathan said quickly and surprisingly. Maybe he did want to keep this a secret as much as I did. "I like it being ours," he finally said with his eyes aglow.

"I'm not sure how much I believe that Mr. Loose Lips. You sure you haven't already told Jake?"

"No, I didn't. But there is someone that I think we should tell…"

"Who?"

"Charlie. I mean, it's best if he knows right?"

I'm pretty sure I just fell in love with Nathan all over again. Charlie is my baby and I treat him like a human. For anyone else to do the same just shows how amazing that person is. "Nathan Scott… you have once again managed to turn me into a pile of goo. How do you do it?"

"Well, we're going to be a family now, aren't we?"

"We already are a family," I smiled before kissing him. "I love you."

"I love you too. And I will forever."

"Where are you going?" I asked when I felt him pull away a little. I wanted to keep kissing him, but he's pulling away? I don't think so.

"Nowhere," he said as he reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay the bill. Thank God, he was as ready to get out of here as I was.

I turned around to grab my purse when I felt him pulling on me. "What?" I asked before looking back at him and realizing his wallet was not in his hand. "What are you doing, Nathan?" I asked, barely able to breathe. I watched as he opened the small box in his hand to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. I could feel my tears start to fall as he got to his knee.

"You said it, Hales. We're a family. I want us to be a real family for this baby. I am going to love you til the day I die, so will you make me the happiest man on the Earth and marry me?"

Suddenly my sickness from the morning had returned and I felt like I couldn't talk or I was going to throw up my entire meal. I knew I had to answer, but I also knew what was going to happen when I did. I guess I now knew why Nathan was so sure I'd remember our first date forever. I also now knew why I had that sinking feeling that I was going to ruin it. "Nathan… I love you… so much. But I can't marry you."


	52. Chapter 52

**Drama, drama drama! I hope I didn't piss off too many readers, but I think the quick update will make up for it… maybe… if you like drama.**

"_You said it, Hales. We're a family. I want us to be a real family for this baby. I am going to love you til the day I die, so will you make me the happiest man on the Earth and marry me?"_

_Suddenly my sickness from the morning had returned and I felt like I couldn't talk or I was going to throw up my entire meal. I knew I had to answer, but I also knew what was going to happen when I did. I guess I now knew why Nathan was so sure I'd remember our first date forever. I also now knew why I had that sinking feeling that I was going to ruin it. "Nathan… I love you… so much. But I can't marry you."_

I grabbed the box from his hands and closed it. I guess I felt if it disappeared, nothing really happened. Everything wasn't ruined. We could just finish our perfect first date. Boy was I wrong. Nathan looked like I had just stabbed him in the heart and maybe I did, but it's not what I wanted. "Can we please go home?" I asked, trying not to cry anymore. I saw him begin to nod and as soon as I could tell he had acknowledged me, I ran. My plan was to run to his car. Just to get the hell out of that restaurant. That horrible restaurant that I never wanted to see again. I stopped at the car momentarily before I saw the ocean. The beach. I could hear the wind blowing the waves in and I needed to feel it. I needed to feel free. I have never been free. For as long as I could remember I was Damien's property. The day I signed the marriage license was the day that I gave him my life. I lost everything that was me that day. I lost my life, my body, my sanity, my children, my friends, my family, everything that was me.

I finally reached the point that trying to stop the tears was useless. It wasn't even like I was crying, I wasn't making any noise, at least none that I knew of. My eyes had simply turned into water faucets, flowing freely without a sign of stopping. At this point I didn't even know why I was crying. I don't know if you could call what was going on with me "flashbacks" but memories were definitely clouding my mind. All the times Damien would call me his wife. He generally used the term to show ownership. _"You're my wife, it's your duty to have sex with me whenever and wherever I want. Don't you want to make me happy? Don't you want to prove your love to me?" "You're my wife, it's your job to make me happy." "You can't leave me, you are my wife. I will find you wherever you go." "It's a wife's responsibility to have dinner ready when I come home from working long hours for you. I do everything for you. All I ask is for one damn hot meal a day!" "Our vows were forever, Haley…"_

It wasn't until I was elbow deep in the water that I even knew what was going on. I heard Nathan scream my name and instantly I was brought back to reality. Before I was able to turn around I was hit hard by a wave, taken underwater as I took in a mouthful of salt water. Once I had turned to the shore I saw Nathan walking out to me fully dressed in his suit. He looked ridiculous. I realized that I must look just as ridiculous. I had just broken his heart, but there he was following me into the great unknown.

I knew I needed to apologize to him so I started back towards him when I felt the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. Considering all that my body had been through, that said something. Every time the pain had gotten too bad, I had passed out. I always thought that it was God's way of saving me. But this pain was different. I didn't know where it started, but it quickly took over my body. I couldn't walk. My legs were simply no longer working. I was starting to fall when I was suddenly hit by another wave. I took in another mouthful of water. I knew I needed help and I needed it now. I came up to get air between waves, but my lungs needed too much air and I couldn't shout for help. The next wave was even larger and I was underwater again. At least this time I had some air in my lungs. I tried to get back to the surface, but the tide was too strong. A few waves past before I was even able to fight to get air. In a split second I decided if I could just get myself above water for a few seconds I could get enough air to let out a quick scream and breathe in moer air as well. I tried to kick my legs, but it was useless. I had to rely on my arms and I realized just how weak I was. For a second I got my arm above surface and as soon as I did, I felt a hand grab for me, but it wasn't quick enough. I felt something swimming below me and I assumed the worst. The salt water was killing my eyes, but I kept them open as much as I could. I felt a tug on my waist and I was sure I was a goner. This was it. A shark is going to take me down. After everything I'd been through, a shark was going to do me in. I felt like Steve Irwin. The most threatening danger in your life isn't what kills you, but a random misadventure. In a moment I was above the surface and gasping for air while I desperately needed to throw up. I felt myself being taken back towards the shore, but I couldn't think about it. I needed air, but I felt sick. There was so much salt water that I had swallowed and it needed out. I wanted to focus on throwing up, but the pain in my leg was unbearable and taking over my body.

It wasn't until I was halfway in shore that I even noticed Nathan. He had quit dragging me and had turned around to cradle me like a baby. Baby. Our baby. What if something happened to our baby? What had even happened to me? Was our baby okay? Was I okay? Nathan was now running and each step sent more pain through my leg. After what seemed like an eternity, he set me down on the shore. He kept asking me if I was okay. Over and over and over. I could barely breathe, let alone talk, so he just kept asking, getting more frantic each time. Finally, I threw up. It was like a miracle, except it didn't stop. I could tell Nathan was getting more and more concerned by how his grip on my hand got tighter. I squeezed back as I pulled his hand down. I had quit throwing up, but I still needed too much air. Once he paid attention to my hand, I pointed down to my leg. "Hurts," was all I could get out. I watched his face as he followed my finger and his demeanor once again changed.

"Somebody call 9-1-1!" he screamed. He continued screaming while he took off his jacket. I felt him tie it around my leg and my fear tripled. I knew I had to be bleeding if he felt the need to make a tourniquet. I couldn't look down. He finally stopped screaming when people approached us telling them help was on their way. "It's gonna be okay," he finally told me. That was the first time I felt any reassurance, but it wasn't enough. I could tell by the worry on his face. "Just don't look, okay?"

"It hurts, Nathan," I told him as I felt fresh tears falling for a completely different reason this time.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise. I love you," he said as he kissed my forehead. It felt so final. Like he was saying his last goodbye.

If this was my last chance, he had to know how I felt. "I'm so sorry. I love you. I ruined everything. I just… I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, baby. Don't even think about it. I'm right here. Do you hear that? Help's almost here. Just stay with me."

I could tell that the ambulance was getting closer. Time was now moving faster and I heard a jumbling of things coming towards me. Soon, I was strapped to a backboard. I didn't understand why. I knew my neck wasn't broken. "She's pregnant," I heard Nathan say. His hand still hadn't let go of mine and it made me feel a little bit safer. He stayed by my side as they carried me to the ambulance and told them to take me to Clay's hospital. I hadn't looked down earlier because Nathan told me not to, but as time went on, I wanted to know what was wrong only now my head was strapped down and I couldn't look. All I knew was that Nathan said everything was going to be okay. Nathan still loved me and that was all that mattered. Now I just needed to think about that instead of the pain.

**Yeah, I know Nathan would have immediately told the EMTs what happened but I wanted a cliffhanger so I didn't. plus, I wanted to know what y'all think happened! So review/message your guesses!**


	53. Chapter 53

**I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I definitely have some. So this weekend I was carrying my 11 month old through my mother's house when I tripped over her dog only able to use one arm to catch myself. I shattered my wrist, so after surgery I'm now casted up and without use of my right hand. Which means that updating my stories won't be happening too quickly. Not only am I drugged up, but I've only got one hand to type. I can't be too upset about it since my little girl is not hurt at all. Possibly if my husband is well enough trained, I can get him to type it out for me… we'll see. Anyways I wanted to go ahead and give y'all what I had so that you know what happened. A bit gross, but I think it's awesome.**

"It hurts so bad," I cried to the EMT hovering above me. Wasn't it his job to make the pain go away?

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we can't give you any medicine right now without causing some risk to the baby."

"Nathan… what happened?" I asked as I did my best to see him. I hated being strapped down. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it's extremely annoying.

"You're gonna be okay. Just squeeze my hand when it hurts."

"It hasn't stopped hurting since it happened," I gritted back. Actually, it's hurt more than it had before. My leg hurt like hell and I just wanted to know why. So once again I asked him, "What happened?"

"You just stepped on a stingray. You missed the red flag that warns you for the riptide. It swept you out a bit, but you're okay now."

"Why does it hurt so bad?" I asked, but Nathan didn't respond. "Nathan?" He still didn't respond, so I turned my eyes to the EMT. "What's wrong?"

He looked regretfully towards Nathan before answering. "He's right ma'am, you stepped on some sort of ray. I can only assume that in your struggle to reach the surface you incidentally pushed the barb further into and eventually through the top of your foot. The barb is serrated along the edges so we can't pull it out. For us to do so could lacerate tendons, ligaments, or any other soft tissue. Generally, one would undergo surgery to remove it, but in your case…"

A damn stingray? I thought to myself. After doing the lameass "stingray shuffle" my whole life, one of those bitches takes me down? At least it's in the shark family. I'll definitely embellish that part when I have to tell this horror story. After all the years of watching Animal Planet how was I not prepared for this? I had seen a special on rays… I remember the River Monsters episode… the fresh water ray aka the giant death ray had poison in its barb… does that mean…

"What about the flesh-eating venom?" I asked. Nathan's face immediately went from upset to completely freaked out. It made me feel bad, saying it aloud, but I wanted to know.

The EMT laughed at me, "There is poison in the barb, but it's by no means flesh-eating venom. We're going to treat it with heat and it should help, but of course that won't take away your pain. Once we get to the hospital they should take an X-ray to see what region is affected…"

"Can they do that?" Nathan interrupted. "I mean, will it hurt the baby? She's still in the first trimester."

"It'll be fine. They place a lead cover over her stomach which will protect the baby from most radiation. They'll know more after the X-ray."

"Five minutes out," the driver shouted back at us.

"Clay's already there," Nathan informed me. "I texted him to let him know you were the call. It'll make it a lot easier since he already knows your history." Of course Nathan would worry about something so simple. Or maybe he just worried about it because he knew I would be worrying about it. Probably the latter. He really was perfect for me.

"I just want the pain to go away."

"Usually the pain would only last around 24-48 hours," the EMT told me, giving me a little bit of hope… before shooting it right back down. "Unfortunately with the abnormal extent of your injury, it will probably be a bit longer."

"What do you mean abnormal?" I asked frantically. Why couldn't things just be normal?

"It's just extremely rare for it to penetrate so deep. In my twenty years, I haven't seen a case like it."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Nathan huffed. He was already annoyed that the EMT had told me everything (not as if I wouldn't find out eventually) but telling me that it was his worst in twenty years, that pushed him over the top. I was surprised he hadn't knocked him out. I could tell Nathan wanted to help me, but he was truly helpless. "You think this is bad Hales? Just imagine what it'll be like when you have our baby."

Wow. My boyfriend, ladies and gentlemen. He knows just what to say to make everything worse. I squeezed his hand harder, "You think your hand hurts now? Just imagine me breaking it in childbirth."

The doors suddenly opened and over all other noise I heard Brooke's voice loud and clear, "Oh my God!"

To be continued as soon as possible


	54. Chapter 54

"Oh my God!" I heard Brooke scream. You know that really doesn't help to calm me down. Not to mention that I left her hours ago on what was supposed to be her night off.

"Can you get me off this damn backboard?" I asked Clay as they pulled me out of the ambulance.

"As soon as you're inside," he assured me. "We've got to quit meeting like this, Hales."

Did he just call me Hales? That's a bit weird. Maybe I should be comforted though. At least that means he likes me. They got me off the backboard and I was finally able to look at my foot, only I couldn't see it through all the gauze they had used to stop the bleeding. The deep color of red was enough to make me sick, but I was able to hold it in when I saw Nathan still by my side.

They rushed me to X-ray and it was more painful than I thought. The way Brooke had to turn my foot made it hurt even more. It actually made me wish my legs were strapped down again. She kept apologizing and I knew that she was being as gentle as possible, but that didn't take away the pain.

"Is there anything you can do for the pain?" I asked Clay once the X-rays were finished.

"Not without risking the baby's health. I could give you a local anesthetic which won't give as much to the baby, but otherwise you're gonna be going into surgery feeling every bit of the pain. I'll give you two a minute to talk it over."

"I hate thinking of you in any more pain than you're already in," Nathan said as he sat down on my bed and held my hand.

"I can handle it."

"But you shouldn't have to. You've been through enough."

"It's my own fault, Nathan. Our baby shouldn't be punished for my stupid…"

"You're not stupid. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you."

"If we didn't have this baby… would you still want to marry me?"

"I want to be with you forever. Nothing will ever change that. And if you're not ready to get married, I'll respect that."

"It was just kind of sudden. I was caught off guard."

"Does that mean you have a different answer?" he asked hopefully.

"No. But it means I'll think about it. And it means that I'm not going to even think about risking our future to simply spare myself a few hours of pain."

"Thank God," Nathan breathed out before giving me a kiss. "I really didn't want to pressure you, but I've grown attached to Baby Future."

"I've noticed," I laughed thinking of all of his talks to my stomach. The baby hadn't even had ears when he started his daily conversations.

"I can't believe you're smiling."

"I know how to fake it. I just know how much more it's gonna hurt when they pull it out. I'm preparing my mind for this pain to feel like nothing."

"I wish I could be in there with you."

"Me too."

"Brooke and Clay will be with you, though. And I'll be right here when you get out."

"I know."

"You ready?" Brooke asked as she made her way to my bed.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Did you decide?"

"Yeah. It looks like I'm in for a living hell."

"You are braver than I could ever be," she told me as she pushed me out of the room and away from Nathan.

"Yeah right… I'm chicken shit. Nathan asked me to marry him."

"Oh my God!" she squealed as she brought my bed to a halt causing pain to shoot through my leg. "What did you say?"

"I said no," I told her as if it was the most logical answer. "I freaked out. I ran into the ocean and you know the rest of the story."

"Yeah, that was a bit confusing. I mean, you showing up soaked on a stretcher still in the same dress as I left you a few hours ago, only now with a barb through your foot. I was trying not to be too nosey, but it was seriously killing me not knowing. I can't believe he asked you to marry him! What a jerk!"

"How exactly does that make him a jerk?"

"Which reason would you like? How about because you JUST got divorced. Like, a three month grace period is common courtesy. Add on that it was your FIRST date! You can't propose on a first date! Especially since you just found out your pregnant! How are you supposed to know he didn't ask you simply because he doesn't want a bastard child?"

"How about we don't call my baby a bastard child?"

"Why not? It is!"

"Brooke, just take me to surgery. We can discuss this later. I just want this damn thing out of my foot!"

* * *

Words can't describe the pain I felt as Clay carefully pulled the barb from my foot. He gave me a local anesthetic, but of course it couldn't completely take away the pain. I actually wonder if it worked at all because the pain was unbelievable. Brooke tried to prod me for more information about the proposal, but that form of distraction didn't work. When she asked what I was going to tell people, I pretty much flipped out. What was I going to tell people? I went out deep in the ocean at night for what reason? Nathan proposed to me and I said no? That's not exactly something you want to share with everyone. Even if I did come up with a good reason for being in the water, how was I supposed to explain going through surgery without being sedated? I couldn't. Unless of course I tell everyone that I'm pregnant. Especially now I feel like it would be horrible to tell everyone. I'm still in the first trimester and it just freaks me out. What happens if I do miscarry again? Everyone has finally quit looking at me like I'm scarred, all of those sympathy looks will come back if they know I've lost another baby.

"Clay's going to give you something so you can sleep," Nathan told me, snapping me out of my inner thoughts.

"Why didn't he do that for the surgery?"

"Because Benadryl wouldn't have helped you in surgery."

"Benadryl?" I laughed. Benadryl is supposed to help me sleep? Normally I might be able to accept that, but come on…

"Yeah, something like it. It's safe for you and the baby."

"I am tired," I whispered. "I wish I could go home with you."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said as he stood up from his chair and sat down on my hospital bed. "And anyone who tries to make me is going to get arrested."

I tried to move my butt over without hurting my elevated leg, but it didn't work. I could see the hurt in Nathan when I flinched. With the extra room, he laid himself down on the bed next to me as we shared a pillow. "I can't believe you're still here with me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"After everything I've done tonight… I turned down your proposal… I endangered your baby."

"Our baby," he corrected me with a kiss.

"Still…"

"Still nothing. I love you and nothing can change that."

"You don't want to know why?"

"Of course I want to know! But I don't want to pressure you either."

"Did you ever think that maybe I want to tell you? That it might make me feel like less of a creep if you understood my reasons. Not that you'll necessarily understand but if I could just explain myself to you…"

"Then explain," he said as he interrupted my ramblings.

I took a deep breath before I continued, "I just got divorced, not even two months ago. I've been married since I was eighteen. I've never even dated anyone other than my ex-husband. An ex-husband who made my life a living hell. Right now… that's how I see marriage. It was hell for me and it's not a place that I want to go back to any time soon." I could see Nathan wanted to interrupt me, but I knew exactly what he was going to say, so I quickly covered his mouth with my free hand. "I know you will never treat me like Damien did, but that doesn't change how I feel about marriage right now. I thought things were going perfect with us."

"They are," he said as he ripped my hand away from his mouth.

"Then why change things?"

"Because I love you and I want to be with you forever."

"And because I'm pregnant?"

Nathan shook his head, but I still found it hard to believe that wasn't why. I think he could tell which is what made him confess the next part. "When we fought about the whole bet thing. I had to get away…"

"Brooke said you dove into your work."

"I did. After I left town for a few days. I tried to call you to tell you where I was, but you never answered. I went to see my grandfather in Charlotte. I told him about everything. All he asked was if you were worth it. I didn't even have to think, I knew you were. He told me stories about him and my grandma and how they would fight, but it never mattered because deep down they always knew they loved each other… no matter how mad they would get. Then in a second, he disappeared. He came back with a box and I immediately knew what it was. I also knew that nothing would make me happier than putting my grandmother's ring on your finger."

"That was your grandmother's ring?" I asked, trying not to cry at how amazing the man lying next to me was.

He nodded and smiled. "Maybe not today or tomorrow or even this year will I be able to put it on your finger, but I know that one day I will."

"I love you," I told him as I felt a stabbing in my heart.

"But you can't marry me," he finished for me. I regretfully nodded but was given a smile in return. "That's okay with me. A ring is just a ring and a marriage is just a sheet of paper. All that matters to me is if I can keep you forever."

"Of course you have me forever."


	55. Chapter 55

"Guess what?" I grinned at Nathan.

"What?" he smiled before kissing me.

"I love you."

"I love you too, but guess what?"

"What?"

"You're still not getting a wheelchair," he laughed at me.

"Nathan," I whined as I pushed him off my hospital bed. "I have a hole in my foot."

"Which leaves you with one leg that works perfectly. Crutches will be fine."

"But I'm pregnant, you're supposed to spoil me."

"Does holding your hair back this morning not count?"

"Not when it's your fault I'm puking."

"Hey, you were a very willing participant. It takes two to tango, baby."

I rolled my eyes before giving him an annoyed look which he tried to kiss away. "_Should've known you was trouble from the first kiss,_" he began to sing. "_You had your eyes wide open, why were they open?_"

"I hate you," I told him as I did my best to cover his mouth.

Unfortunately for me and my ears, he was much stronger as he continued to sing, "_I'd catch a grenade for ya! I'd throw my hand on a blaaaade for ya. I'd jump in front of a traaaaain for ya._"

"Got it babe," I said as I tried harder to shut him up. It was useless at this point once he had walked away from the bed giving me no chance to reach him.

"_You know I'd do anythaaaaing for ya!_" he continued when I saw hope in sight. "_I would go through all this pai…_" right as the words were out of his mouth, I watched as Nathan received a nice shot to the kidneys from Peyton.

"Thank you," I breathed out as I watched Nathan fall to the ground.

"Ugh. I'd know that horrible voice anywhere. I pray the baby has Haley's voice," Peyton smiled as she stepped over Nathan. "Doctor said you're ready to be discharged. Brooke said she was going to find you a wheelchair and we'd get you out of here."

"Ha!" I laughed at Nathan. "See? A wheelchair!"

Nathan stood up defeated, holding his back. "You're not taking it home with you. It's just to get you to the car." He looked to Peyton with the same evil glare I gave him when he sang, "You know I could arrest you for assaulting a police officer."

"Whatever, you're not in your blues."

"Still a cop."

"Don't care," she laughed. "Besides, I was saving your child from having to hear such horrifying sounds at such a fragile time. You should really be thanking me, like Haley rightfully did."

"You're so mean," he told both of us before turning to just me. "Is it so wrong to serenade to my girl?"

"When it's Bruno Mars, yes."

I watched as he began to pout and I just wanted to rip his bottom lip off. He was too old to be pouting and too cute at the same time. "But I'd catch a grenade for you…" he whispered.

"And if you listened to the rest of that song you'd know it's a breakup song."

"All good songs are breakup songs which just means that I'm going to have to always sing breakup songs to you. That way you'll know how shattered I'll be if you ever leave me."

"Just as long as you don't sing the parts about being worlds apart and being lonely and sleeping in separate beds."

"Never about sleeping in separate beds."

"I didn't mean it that way. You are such a perv sometimes!"

"That's not being a perv, that's being a guy. But just so you know, I'm not a perv sometimes. It's all the time when it comes to you."

"That is such a line," I laughed.

"Did you fall for it?"

"Don't I always?"

Nathan started to lean in to kiss me but came to a halt when we heard Brooke's voice. "Don't you two ever quit?"

Hearing Brooke's annoyance Nathan couldn't help but kiss me just to prove a point. I couldn't help but laugh into his lips which caused him to give me a dejected look, "Oh, get over it." I turned to Brooke and smiled, "Wheelchair!"

"Just to get you out of here, girlie. You'll be hobbling on your crutches once you get home. No worries though. Nate and I will take good care of you."

"You better."

"So, how happy are you to be going home? Stupid Clay was being so overprotecting last night making you stay here!"

"I told you he liked you," Nathan whispered to me. It made me feel good to know that Clay was looking out for me. I know he'll be a permanent fixture in my life and even though he didn't always want to, he helped me when I needed help the most.

"Now get your butt in this chair!" Brooke demanded without me ever answering her question.

I looked at her like she was crazy. She was still halfway across the room and there was no way I was walking that far. I stuck out my bottom lip and gave Nathan my best puppy dog eyes as I lifted my arms towards him. He gave me a quick scowl before leaning down to pick me up. "You're such a baby," he told me once I was completely in his arms.

"You're such a sweetheart," I smiled back at him. He put me down in the wheelchair and tried to give me a kiss, but Brooke started pushing me away.

"Grab her stuff, Nate. We'll meet you at the car."

"What was that about?" I asked as she hurriedly pushed me into the hall.

"I have no girl friends," she said out of nowhere.

I leaned my head back to look at her and she gave me a worried look. "What's so bad about that?" I asked.

"It's too soon to ask you, I know…"

"Too soon to ask me what?"

"Clay wants to move up the wedding. His grandmother has a problem with us living together before we're married and since we live together… she's kind of throwing a fit."

"So you want me to not move into Nathan's?"

"No! Of course not! You're moving in there. I just want you to be my maid of honor."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but Nathan's going to be the best man and I don't want you to feel pressure like you have to do it because I know how you feel about weddings and I don't want to force you into anything…"

"Brooke, I'd love to," I told her, stopping her from her ramblings.

"Really?"

"Really... As long as it's soon because I don't want to be fat at a wedding. Those pictures last forever."

"Oh my God, I love you!" Brooke squealed before kissing me.

"You know that's how rumors start," I laughed as I looked around at all the people in the halls staring at us.

"Considering I've been sleeping with the attending here or a while now, it's safe to say I know about rumors."

"You're so blunt," I laughed. But then it reminded me of when I first met Brooke here. Nathan had whispered to me those words. I remembered laughing at it. Thinking back on it, I felt horrible. I'm supposed to be the maid of honor for a couple that I never imagined had any sustenance.

"What's wrong?" she asked when she saw my smile fade.

"Nothing," I told her as I tried to smile again.

"If you don't want to, I understand. I mean, we haven't been friends that long and I know it would be awkward for you to walk down the aisle with Nathan after him proposing and everything…"

"Brooke, just shut up. You've done so much for me and Nathan… I wouldn't dream of missing this."

"Good," she smiled as we reached the curb. She sat down on the bench next to me and sighed, "You know… everyone keeps saying that he's 'making an honest woman out of me.' I so hate that phrase. Am I not an honest woman already?"

"You're kidding, right?" I laughed.

"No! I don't get it! It's so annoying!"

"People are just… stupid. Can you imagine what people will say when they find out about me?"

"Won't they be happy? I know I was."

"My parents will be ecstatic that they're finally getting a grandchild. My sisters will probably be even happier knowing that it's not them. But all of them will still judge me and say I'm not who I used to be."

"What does that mean? You're not who you used to be?"

I was about to explain things to Brooke when I heard Nathan's deep breathing from behind me. "Hey babe," I said without turning around.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"She's got her mom eyes already," Brooke squealed before giving me a hug. "Awww, you make me so happy, Hales." She pointed to Nathan to go get his car and without a word he disappeared. "You know we're finishing this later, right?"

"When's your shift?"

"My Haley shift or my hospital shift?"

"Your Haley shift," I laughed.

"Tomorrow while Nathan's at work. I will see you then. Your ass better be downstairs. I am not going up and down those stairs to wait on you!"

"Right, because that's what we're worried about," Nathan said sarcastically as he lifted me into the car. Yeah… he's definitely whipped. I didn't even have to ask him this time.

Nathan started to walk back around the car and Brooke leaned in to whisper to me, "You might not want to let him carry you in like that. Crossing the threshold… talk about awkward."

My friend. Brooke Davis. Genius. Saving my ass from definite awkwardness. I'm not sure if I've ever been more thankful for her than that moment. Always thinking on her feet, that one. Unfortunately, that meant that soon, I'd have to be on my own.

**Lyrics are "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. My husband has been singing it to me all week and it's been pissing me off, so I just had to get it out there.**


	56. Chapter 56

"Are you sure I can't help you?" Nathan asked for possibly the hundredth time in my short walk from the car to the house.

"I'm fine," I huffed as I hobbled along.

"You look like a flailing duck. Just let me get you inside."

"I've got to learn to use these sometime!" I yelled at him.

"It's not something you learn, Hales. It's innate. Just move your arms at the same time instead of one after the other. You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'm already hurt!"

"Okay," he relented as he finally backed off. "I can't help you get inside, what can I do?"

"Get Charlie from Viv. I think they're leaving town tomorrow so he needs to go ahead and get accustomed to being here. Plus, I miss him."

"Okay," he sighed. "But I'm not going until you are safe inside and lying down."

It took a while to get me inside, but once I was, I was extremely happy. I may be completely uncoordinated, but I made it all by myself. Nathan directed me to the couch as he fluffed pillows and laid them all around to elevate my foot and make me comfortable. He got me a drink and the remote and in a matter of no time had everything at my disposal. He kept his promise and as soon as I was situated, he left to bring my best friend home.

I watched Charlie try to wiggle himself free of the leash Nathan had him on to no avail. "Let him go," I squealed wanting my baby to run and give me a big slobbery kiss.

"No way, Hales. He is so wound up. He'll jump on your leg and hurt you more." Nathan grabbed his collar and undid the leash, but didn't let go of him. He walked Charlie over to me and I was greeted with a million licks to the face.

"I missed you buddy," I said in between licks as he climbed on the couch to join me.

"Dammit," Nathan said as he tried to hold him back, but it was no use. Charlie may only weigh 100 pounds, but that was enough. Especially when he gets this excited.

"He's fine," I tried to assure Nathan as I did my best to talk between licks. I was finally able to grab Charlie's face to cease his licking, but I couldn't hold on long because I just had to hug the big fella. "Do you think he missed me?" I asked Nathan with a grin on my face.

"I have no doubt."

"Please tell me you brought some treats for him!"

Hearing the word 'treat' Charlie started going crazy as he barked up a storm, nearly bursting my eardrums. "Maybe you should spell words around him, that way he won't freak out," Nathan suggested. "That's what we always did with my pets."

"Yeah, Charlie is a bit smarter than that. He knows how to spell. B-O-N-E," I spelled and he started barking again. "He's my little genius," I smiled as Nathan threw a bone at me, hitting me right in the head. "OW!"

"Are you okay?" he asked as he rushed over to me.

"I'm fine," I laughed. He hit me with a dog bone… not something to cry home about. It didn't even hurt, I said ow more out of reflex than anything. It was funny how protective Nathan was over me. I loved it. There was something so refreshing about knowing someone was worrying about you even when there was no need to worry.

"How's your foot?"

"Fine, Mr. Worrywart."

"Is your stomach better?"

"For the time being… You might want to bring out a trashcan around dinnertime though. That's usally when the second wave hits."

"I hate that you feel gross."

"No you don't. You love it."

"No, I don't!" he objected again.

"Yes you do. It means your baby is growing and healthy. And nothing makes you happier than that."

"Our baby," he corrected. "And you're wrong. You make me happier than anything," he said before kissing me.

I started laughing when he pulled his face away. "Do you taste dog?" I asked as I watched his face.

"Yeah. Charlie needs to go to the dentist or something. Your face is rank."

"You are so mean," I fake cried.

"Mean to you or mean to Charlie?"

"I can handle you being mean to me, but Charlie… that's a whole 'nother story."

"You are the greatest mother ever," he said before kissing me again. "Oh, damn, I forgot," he flinched when he sat back again. "I think it's time for you to take a bath and wash your face," he told me before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I would have objected, but the less walking the better. I must be dense because I just can't seem to get a handle on crutches. I'm sure I looked like a hot mess too. Well, maybe not a hot mess, but definitely a mess. My hair was still nasty and salty from my fight with the tide. I could even feel some salt left on my skin.

As I squeezed his butt with one hand, I realized that I liked being carried this way the best. "Two can play that game," he threatened as he smacked my ass and threw me down on the bed. "Did I hurt you?" he asked probably out of habit by now. I shook my head no and he kissed my bandaged foot for good measure. He slowly ridded me of my clothes and pretty much devoured me with his eyes. I was expecting him to join me on the bed, but he disappeared without a word. He came back a few minutes later still fully clothed and I just stared at him confused. Before I could ask what was going on I was back over his shoulder and he was dropping me in the bathtub with a big splash.

"That was I bit harsh," I said when my head was above the water. "And too much of a flashback…"

"I'm sorry, babe, but you had to go butt first. Otherwise your bandage could get wet and that would mean Clay would have to come over and redo it. And if he came over then Brooke would come over and then she would steal you away and we wouldn't have any time together. She can monopolize your time tomorrow. Tonight, you're mine." He leaned in and gave me a kiss, "Besides, now that your face has been underwater, kissing you is bearable."

"You're not joining me?"

"Tempting. But as much as I'd love to, once again, your foot would get wet and do I need to explain this again?"

"Fine," I said as I rolled my eyes. I really did need a good bath and that definitely wouldn't happen with Nathan around, "Can you go feed my baby?" Nathan just looked at me confused. I guess it was a bit confusing. Was I talking about him? Or the baby growing in my belly? How about neither? "Charlie," I clarified for him.

"Can I feed him toothpaste?"

"Would you feed our baby toothpaste?"

"Maybe… if she has really bad breath."

"She?" Yeah, I noticed that one too. "Who says it's a she?"

"Well, if it's name is Future, we can't call a boy Future!"

I just looked at him like he was crazy. Can't he just say that he wants a girl? What a lame excuse. "Boy or girl, we are not calling our baby Future outside of the womb."

"What about Forever? We could call her Ever or Eve."

"What about no? And there you go again with the 'her'. How are you so sure it's a girl? You realize we won't know for at least another ten weeks, probably longer."

"I don't _know_, I just hope she's one. She'll look just like you and have all your brains and beauty and morals…"

"Yeah? And what'll she get from you?"

"My jump shot. Hopefully."

"As long as she's not a cheerleader. So, what if it's a boy?"

"It's not gonna be a boy. It's definitely a girl. We'll have a boy later. The first two will definitely be girls though."

"Exactly how many children do you think we're having?"

"I haven't really thought about it."

"Bullshit. You already counted out three!"

"Well, we were planning on four, but apparently fourth time's the charm and we get twins. Girls. Identical."

"Four girls? You really think you can handle that?"

"As long as they are nothing like me, absolutely. So, what do you want?"

"I want my now cold bath water to be warm again and I want my baby dog to be fed. Can you handle that?"

"Damn you're spoiled," he laughed as he unplugged the bath tub and turn the hot water on to warm it up.

"I blame you," I grinned jokingly but also totally true. Never in my life have I been spoiled until now. I must admit, it's pretty amazing. Not to mention how much more spoiled I have become since I got pregnant. Life is pretty damn good.

"I think everything is going to be my fault for the next eight months."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," I smiled before grabbing his shirt. I pulled him in for a kiss and he nearly fell in the water. "Thank you."

"Now _that _is why I spoil you."


	57. Chapter 57

"Brooke…" I cried.

"Do not cry on me tutor girl! All our makeup is already done!"

"But… I'm showing," I said as I showed her my stomach from a side view.

"Haley, you're nine weeks pregnant, you're gonna be showing. At least you're off your crutches for the wedding!" Always the positive one, that Brooke. Not that it helps.

"But if Clay's grandmother thinks you're easy, she's gonna think I'm a total whore."

"Who cares? She's old."

"Everyone's gonna know," I whined, getting more upset by the minute.

"You still haven't told anybody?"

"We're just keeping it to ourselves for a while."

"Well, news flash, Hales: you can't wear my scrubs forever. Someone will eventually catch on and you will eventually not even fit into them."

"You're not helping," I cried even harder. Brooke really sucked at this. I needed Nathan at a time like this.

"Your boobs look phenomenal. Is that a good pep talk? Because today is actually about me. You won't know anyone out there but me, Peyton, Clay, and Nathan. And we all already know."

"You're forgetting Jake. And his fiancée… you know, my sister."

"Really?" she asked as if she hadn't made up the guest list herself. The entire hospital staff that wasn't on duty was in the chapel. Everyone of them had to be witness to this glorious union. She was just eating it up, I on the other hand was probably still considered their patient since I was there so often. Unfortunately they didn't only know all about Brooke's love story, but they also knew all about mine. "Are you sure we invited them?"

"I hope so, because they're coming. Don't the guys always watch football together?"

"Eh, whatevs. Must I remind you that today is about me? You only get married once!" she beamed before taking in my reaction.

"You know who you're talking to, right?"

"Okay, maybe you get married twice in some cases. Or eight times in Elizabeth Taylor's case."

"You girls ready?" came a voice from behind the door.

I turned to Brooke and smiled. I was probably the worst maid of honor ever, so I knew I had to give a few words of encouragement. "You look gorgeous," I said as a few more tears fell. She wiped them away for me making sure not to smudge my thankfully waterproof makeup. "I love you, but Clay loves you more and he is going to make you sooo happy."

"I know," she laughed. "That's why I'm marrying him. Now go!"

As soon as I was out the door I ran straight into Nathan."Hi," I smiled up at him.

He grabbed my shoulders and held me at a distance to get a better look. "You… look… gorgeous," he said slowly as he looked me up and down. He then pulled me back to him for a hug and whispered in my ear, "You're glowing."

"More like growing," I complained. Did he really have to say something? Thinking of my best friend duties I had momentarily forgotten that I looked like I had eaten thanksgiving dinner for my entire family. "The dress is supposed to be more flowy."

"Flowy?"

"I'm not Brooke, I don't know technical fashionista words. Now, we need to move because I hear music."

Nathan held out his arm and I eagerly took it. It was weird, but it felt good to walk down the aisle with him with everyone staring at us. Of course I had insecurities about how I looked, but with Nathan constantly whispering to me about how beautiful I looked my insecurities faded. I pretty much missed the entire wedding because I had zoned out on Nathan. He looked incredibly hot in his tux and it was seriously hard to concentrate. Not to mention the smothering looks he sent me throughout the entire ceremony. It was like we were having our own secret eye conversation. I don't even want to think about what Brooke will say when she sees pictures and her wedding video with her attendants in gaga land. But as I said, it was impossible not to stare. Our eye contact was only broken when Brooke and Clay walked between us and we realized it was our turn to follow them.

"Way to be with those rings," Nathan whispered in my ear.

"Don't even go there!" I whispered back as all of the eyes watched us leave the chapel. During the ceremony we had been so distracted in each other that there were several throats clearing and elbows to the side that had to bring us out of our daze to hand over the rings. I could tell people were laughing at us, but I didn't care.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Nathan said once we were away from prying eyes.

"I don't think so," said the wedding planner as she grabbed both of us by the arms and pulled us into a side room. "You have to stay for pictures. Once the chapel is cleared out, we're going back in. The bride and groom are spending a few minutes together in the other room. I'll come back when I need you two, so don't go anywhere."

"They're spending a few minutes together?" I laughed as I looked at Nathan.

"She means they're fucking," Nathan said plainly.

"Yeah, I got that. That's why I was laughing. You didn't need to put it so crudely. I mean, they're married now, I feel like you shouldn't call it fucking anymore. In fact, I'd say that right now they are consummating the marriage. It's romantic, not dirty."

"So if we get married that means we can never fuck again?"

"Quit being so crass. You're really sounding like Damien right now and it's pissing me off."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means sex should be more than sex when it's with the person you love. You know, you've never once considered them a real couple, have you? They're married now. It's a whole lot more."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I just never thought Brooke would get married before me. I don't think she did either. Especially when you came back in my life."

"We're ready for you," the woman said as she stuck her head in at the perfect time. This was the conversation I had been avoiding since the proposal. I knew that I must have hurt him when I said no, but I also knew that I couldn't enter a marriage simply from guilt. It's not what I want and I know Nathan wouldn't want it either. I love him, but that can't erase my past. I sent a grateful smile to the lady, but I don't think she caught it. No innocent bystander would.

**Next up: Reception!**


	58. Chapter 58

"Slow down there, Killer," Quinn laughed as she tried to grab my plate from me.

"I'm hungry," I said ripping it back from her. "I've been so busy helping Brooke that I haven't had time to eat today," I lied. Of course I'd eaten. I was hungry! I saw worry cross Nathan's face at the thought of me not eating but I sent him a look to tell him I had and to quit being so overprotective. I loved how we could talk without talking.

"Well, it doesn't look like it. You must be on the rag," Quinn scoffed.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because you're bloated as hell," she laughed as she poked at my stomach.

"You're a bitch, you know that right?"

"I'm your sister and I'm honest. Shoot me."

"Well, if you ask me it looks more like she's off her period," Jake said.

"It looks to me like you two need to shut your mouths," Nathan said. I could tell he was pissed that they were saying these things, mainly because he knew I was feeling insecure. I loved it and I hated it all at the same time.

"And that would be a 'yes' to Jake's assumption," Quinn said as she sent me a knowing look.

"I hate you both," I said before I excused myself from the table.

"Way to go," I heard Nathan say before he threw down his napkin and ran after me. "I'm sorry," he told me once we were on the country club's balcony.

"It's not your fault."

He sat down in a nearby chair and pulled me into his lap. "I'm still sorry. I know you wanted to keep it a secret."

"They'd have to know sometime. I just wanted to actually tell people instead of them figuring it out because I'm fat."

"You're not fat. You're pregnant."

"You have to say that. You're the one that knocked me up."

"You know, I'm going to get a complex if you keep blaming me for everything. And why is it that I supposedly should rejoice in your pain because our baby is growing, when you can't do the same thing?"

"Because you're not the one going through it."

"Maybe not, but I do have to deal with you."

"Touche. I am happy though. I'm beyond happy. I only hate on you 'cause you let me."

"Yeah? So you wouldn't if I quit letting you?" he asked hopefully.

I shook my head and gave him a kiss, "Sorry, Toots. You're just gonna have to keep letting me." I rested my forehead against his and just let the smile settle on my face. "I love you," I whispered.

He gave me another kiss before whispering back, "I know."

"You brat," I laughed as I pushed off him to stand up. What a cocky son of a bitch.

He stood up and grabbed my waist to stop me. He pulled me closer to him to whisper in my ear. "Dance with me," he demanded.

"Seriously?" I asked turning to see his face. He was a horrible dancer. In fact, I've only seen him dance once and that was when I forced him to in his own house.

"Yes. I've been waiting all night for them to play this song."

"You made a song request?" I giggled.

"Just dance with me," he said as he dragged me out onto the dance floor and I let the words soak in.

_I'll make love to you  
Like you want me to  
And I'll hold you tight  
Baby all through the night  
I'll make love to you  
When you want me to  
And I will not let go  
Till you tell me to_

_Girl relax, let's go slow  
I ain't got nowhere to go  
I'm just gonna concentrate on you  
Girl are you ready, it's gonna be a long night  
Throw your clothes on the floor  
I'm gonna take my clothes off too  
I made plans to be with you  
Girl whatever you ask me you know I'll do _

"You really are a brat," I whispered into his chest as I tried to hide my smile.

"Were you expecting a break-up song?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I should have… since it's you."

"Well, I was going to ask for 'More than Words', but then after our little talk, I figured…"

"You figured you'd be the sweetest guy ever?"

"Pretty much," he smirked.

"D'you remember when this was popular?"

"I'm a guy. Boys II Men is not my thing."

"It sooo was your thing and you're just too embarrassed to admit it. Anyways, we were, like, eight or something and knew every word. I'm sure I still do, but how horrible is it that we were singing about sex like that when we were so little?"

"Just imagine what our kids will be singing…"

"You have pluralization issues!"

"I know you're tutor girl and all, but I think you just made up that word."

"It's a tense…"

"As in past, present, or future?"

"Combined with a gerund," I added, hoping to throw him off.

"Ending in 'ing'?"

"Shut up! You're not supposed to know that! You always failed everything in English!"

"You little stalker! How do you know my grades?"

"Because I always handed everything back for the teacher. Thanks for noticing me."

"Trust me, babe, I noticed," he grinned as he pulled me even closer to him. "Every time you'd walk past me I could catch the smell of your perfume."

I pushed him back a bit so that I could look up to see his face and he could see the seriousness in mine, "I didn't wear perfume."

"Then it was your shampoo. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating."

"You were such a stupid boy," I told him as I busied myself by straightening out his collar.

"That's mean…"

"Not stupid that way. Just… stupid dammit!" I said as I tried to walk away from him.

He held on tighter to my waist so that I couldn't leave. "You're not getting away that easy. What are you talking about? What did I do? Did I do something to hurt you?"

"Honestly… yeah. But you were stupid so you never knew the difference."

"Just tell me what I did."

"You asked how I knew you were failing. The truth is, I didn't look at people's grades when I handed back papers. He always put the grade on the back page for that reason. I knew you were failing because I assigned the tutors."

"You gave me that nerd? I figured Brooke had organized that. I mean, there was only one male tutor in the school and somehow I got him?"

"He wasn't your tutor. I was. But you, being stupid, didn't show up for your first session. You were such a jackass."

"Excuse me while I go strangle the bride," he said before letting me go and walking towards Clay and Brooke who were dancing a few feet away. I tried to grab him, but he was too quick and Clay was soon in my arms.

"So…. Uh…. Congrats, man," I smiled at him as we danced.

"Thanks," he smiled. His eyes were shining so much that you could see how happy he was. "You think you'll be joining us in marital bliss anytime soon?"

"Did he make you ask that?"

"No, I just figured since you're having his baby."

"Which is exactly why I don't want to. It'll cheapen the marriage, you know? People will think we're getting married because of the baby and not because we love each other."

"And you think our quickie wedding looks more valid?"

"It's different. And you really might want to worry about your wife's safety right now…"

"They're both smiling," Clay said as he took a look over his shoulder to see Brooke and Nathan laughing. They both turned serious for a moment and then they stopped dancing. Brooke had an evil look on her face and then she just turned around and ran with Nathan right behind her.

"He wants to rip her face off. You really might want to be worried."

"He always does. At least he has ever since I've known them both."

"I used to think they were love."

Clay started laughing, just thinking about the two of them being together. "They loved sex. Not each other."

My mouth literally fell open at his bluntness. "That doesn't bother you? That your best friend and your wife used to sex. A LOT."

"Not really. Because now, my wife and I have sex… A LOT."

"I guess you can't be too mad then," I laughed.

"Can I cut in?" came a voice from behind me.

"Wow, much nicer than Nate," Clay joked. "Have at her."

I turned around and instead of getting a dance I was met with an intense hug. "I'm sorry," Jake whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But it didn't go unnoticed that you gave your toast with just water."

"We just wanted to be sure before telling everyone. You remember last time…"

"Don't even talk about last time," he said covering my mouth with his hand like he would when we were four. I stuck out my tongue and laughed when he started to furiously rub my spit off his hand onto his pant leg.

"Oh my God, how old are we?" I laughed as I leaned on his shoulder and gave him a side hug. "We are such dorks."

"We're just awesome," he corrected me.

"Do you think Nathan is capable of murder?" I wondered aloud as I noticed that Brooke still hadn't returned to the dance floor where her new husband was waiting.

"Well, he does carry a gun."

"Dear God, Jake. Why would you say such a thing?" I asked more to myself than to him because I was off to go stop a murder in progress. I ran to the room where we had been given our first meal but they were nowhere to be seen. I checked the bathroom. I don't know why, she's a girl, he's a boy, bathroom isn't exactly some place inconspicuous and Nathan being a cop would be smarter than that. I ran outside and I saw white coming out from the side of the limo and I thought I was too late. Brooke would never let her dress touch the ground, but there it was, dirty and sticking out of a car. I ran as fast as my heels could take me and swung open the limo door and was greeted with an odd sight. Brooke was completely laid out across the back seat laughing her ass off. "What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said as she tried to sit up quickly and look like a proper bride, but she fell right back down when she hit her head on the roof. It wasn't until then that I heard the thundering laugh of my boyfriend.

I stuck my head inside the limo and sure enough, there he was. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We left this in the limo," Brooke slurred as she held up a bottle of vodka.

"Are you serious? There's a fucking wet bar inside!"

"Watch your language around my child," Nathan joked, but it came out just as slurred as Brooke.

"You two were fine a minute ago. What the hell?" Nathan's smile grew wider and he rolled a completely empty bottle towards me. "I hate you both," I said before slamming the door shut. Weddings are no fun when you're sober. When I reached the building I saw Clay who seemed to be looking for his bride. "She is drunk as a skunk," I warned him.

"Nathan?"

"Him too. Just kick his butt to the sidewalk and y'all go. I know y'all don't want to make a big deal of it and Brooke wouldn't be able to even if you tried."

"You're not gonna leave him out there to die if I kick him out will you?"

"I think I'll just call the cops on him," I smiled as I pointed to Jake across the room. "You two be safe and have a wonderful honeymoon."

"We will. And you better not get yourself hurt while we're out of town."

"I'll try," I laughed before running off to get Jake. "Nathan's drunk," I told him.

"And?"

"I'm 5-2 and pregnant?"

"So is this your way of asking for help without actually asking?"

"Jakey… we've known each other how long? Do we really need words anymore?"

Jake gave me an evil look. The truth is that we don't need words, at least not when I need something. But when he needs something… that's a whole different story. Thankfully Jake understands that I couldn't get Nathan anywhere in my condition. Not that it's my condition we're really worried about. I led Jake and Quinn outside and the site was… embarrassing to say the least. I don't know how he wasn't run over by a car because all you could really see was black. Nathan was laid out on his back with his coat jacket laying over his face. The first thing I did was pick the coat up off of him to get a better look at him.

"Do you still hate me?" he asked without even opening his eyes.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Me," Jake grunted as he leaned down and grabbed Nathan's hand. "Get up, bro." He tried to pull Nathan up, but he didn't budge.

"Quinn, can you go get the car, please?" I asked before sitting myself down on the ground by Nathan.

"You say 'please' to her, but you don't even ask me?" I heard Jake start to complain, but I just ignored him.

"Sit up," I told Nathan as if he was a child. "I'm ruining my dress because of you," I said and he finally opened his eyes.

"But you look so pretty in that dress. Pretty in pink. Pregnant in pink. PINK!" he screamed and sat up.

"What is up with you?"

"It's a girl," he whispered to me as he put one of his hands on my stomach. I took his hand off my stomach and gave it to Jake so that he could pull him up and into the car that Quinn had pulled up.

"Thank you," I told Jake as I pulled him in for a hug.

"Hey, don't cry, Hales."

"I don't do drunk, Jake. I always get hurt."

"Nathan is not Damien. Just because he's drunk doesn't mean he's going to hurt you. He'll just be a sloppy kisser. You sit up front. I will get him into your house and you will be able to take care of him from there, okay?"

The ride home was quick probably because my mind was racing. Why did Nathan run off and drink with Brooke? What was the point? Why had things seemed so perfect and fairytale-like until our dance ended. None of it made sense to me. I guess that's why it scared me. Jake had gotten Nathan into our bedroom and he collapsed on our bed. I gave him a bottle of water and decided I'd let him sleep it off for at least a little bit before I bugged him. I needed a shower. Bad.

As I'm washing the obsessive amount of hairspray out of my hair I hear the shower door open. All I can do is groan until I open my eyes and see Nathan climbing in with me… fully clothed. "Babe, I need to wash my hair."

"So do I," he said as he walked closer to me and put his arms around my waist.

"Then take off your clothes, you idiot!"

"I knew I forgot something," he laughed.

"It's not that funny. And you are cleaning this entire bathroom tomorrow. I had the house looking perfect and now…"

"Don't cry, baby," he told me, but instead of wiping away my frustrated tears, he backed me up against the wall and started kissing me.

"We are so not having sex right now," I told him as I pushed him away and climbed out of the shower. I slammed the door shut and flushed the toilet just to hear him scream.

"Dammit Haley!"

I could feel my whole body cringe at his words. Sure, I had wanted to piss him off with a rush of cold water because he was pissing me off, but I didn't want him actually mad. And he sounded mad. And instantly my fear kicked in. I grabbed my towel and ran out of the bathroom and into Clay's old room and hid in his closet.

"Hales? Hales? You're really killing my buzz babe. Where the hell are you?" He kept screaming, but I didn't answer. I wanted him to give up and just pass out on our bed. I could go and cuddle with him and by the morning, he'd have forgotten everything. But then the closet door opened and there was Nathan… completely naked. "What are you doing in here?" he asked as he sat down next to me.

"Hiding."

"From me?"

"I guess." It sounded ridiculous when he said it, but it my mind it had seemed so normal.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked as he rested his chin on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and started crying for at least the twentieth time that day. "Don't cry, sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know. Did you drip water all through the house?"

"Probably," he laughed looking down at himself. "Are you pissed?"

"It's hard to be pissed at you when you're looking that hot."

"I know what you mean," he smiled as he sent me a wink.

"What happened tonight, Nathan?"

"Can we not do this in the closet?"

I just nodded my head and we got up to go back to his room. I made a stop in the kitchen to get him another bottle of water. The cold water may have brought his buzz down a little, but that wasn't going to do him any good in the morning. He was already in the bed when I got to our room and I just hoped that he wasn't asleep. I knew if we didn't talk now that we never would.

"Thank you," he whispered when I put the bottle on his bedside table.

"You're welcome. You tired?"

"A bit."

"Can we still talk?"

"Of course."

"When you left me tonight… you seemed mad at Brooke. Because of the whole tutoring thing."

"I wasn't mad at her. I had a flat tire that day, there was nothing I could do about that. I kind of just wanted an excuse to talk to the girl. She's one of my best friends and you stole her last night."

"I stole her? I'm pretty sure you guys stole Clay from her for the bachelor party leaving me to have a horrible impromptu bachelorette party."

"You didn't have one planned?"

"I'm pregnant! Exactly how much partying do you expect me to do? We decided we'd do something after the baby was born so that I could actually drink and have fun. So you wanted to dance with Brooke. How does that turn into getting trashed in her limo?"

"It was a wedding. That's what they're for."

"Jake had to carry you out of there." I walked over to where I had put his coat and picked it up, bringing it back to the bed. "Does this have something to do with it?" I asked as I pulled the engagement ring out of his inside pocket. I had found it earlier when we were in the car and I figured if he still carried it around in his pocket, he must be carrying it around in his heart.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you."

"But we do. Hurt each other."

"Why can't love be enough?"

"It is. Just… being at the wedding. Walking down the aisle with you. Dancing with you. It got to be too much. I couldn't help but wish it was us even though I knew it never would be."

"I didn't say never."

"Might as well. Damien messed with your head so much. You were just hiding from me in a closet."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You can't help how you feel anymore than I can."

"And how do you feel?"

"I love you."

"But?"

"No buts. I just love you."

"You're not giving up on me?"

"I will never give up on you."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he whispered back before sealing it with a kiss.

**Lyrics are "I'll Make Love to You" by Boys II Men**


	59. Chapter 59

**Sorry I've been MIA for a while. My sister has been in and out of the hospital with complications due to childbirth so I've either been checking on her or watching her 5 week old along with my one year old. Not fun. I've had this written for a while so I wanted to give y'all something. Not sure when I'll be able to finish it, but at least you get a snippet of what's to come.**

You know how life is. Every time you start to believe that it's perfect, you just get shot back down to reality. I guess that is what makes my story just like everybody else's. I was six months pregnant and my life couldn't be any better. I had the greatest boyfriend you could ever ask for. I was safe from the person who had haunted my life for years. And I was going to have a perfect little girl.

So there I was, ironing Nathan's uniform while I was watching my soap opera just thinking how perfect my life was when all of a sudden, my life was shattered. The news alert flashed across the screen telling everyone to stay where they were. Do not leave your house. Do not let the children out of school. There was a robbery at the bank, three dead, more critically injured. Gunmen still at large. That's when it happened. His face was on the screen. Was that even legal? Didn't they have to call the family before they could release names? That's when the doorbell rang. I didn't want to answer it. I just wanted to listen to the reporter and know what happened. Seconds later my sister walked into the room looking like hell.

"Haley…" she whispered.

I turned off the iron and just shook my head. "It's not true."

"Jake just called me…"

"He should have called me first."

"Let me take you to the hospital."

"Where's Jake?"

"He's still looking for the guy. He'll be at the hospital as soon as they catch them."

"Is he dead?" I asked, but I didn't get an answer. "Is Nathan dead?"

"I don't know, Hales. Just let me take you to the hospital and we can find out everything."

If only that had been the truth. The first indication that something was deadly wrong was when Quinn turned the car in the opposite direction of County, Clay's hospital. "Why isn't he at County?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know?"

"All I know is that he's at New Brunswick and I'm supposed to take you there because you shouldn't be alone."

The rest of the ride was silent. There was nothing to say. The father of my baby could be dead. The love of my life, gone forever. The only thing I knew was that there was a shooting at a bank and Nathan was in the hospital, but not his hospital. If he was conscious he would have told them to take him straight to County where he knew and trusted everyone. I wondered if I should call Clay. If there was even anything he could do. He probably knew by now with Nathan's picture being shown on every channel.

I knew this hospital and I knew the ER nurses, but I hadn't been here in over a year. I wonder if they would even recognize me. I ran to triage and asked for Nathan Scott.

"Mrs. West," the nurse smiled at me.

"James," I corrected her.

A smile covered the woman's face as she noticed my stomach for the first time. "I'm so proud of you. You got away."

"Yeah," I brushed her off. "I need to see Nathan."

"Nathan who?"

"Nathan Scott!" I screamed.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a Nathan Scott here."

"Yes, you do. Check again. His partner said he was here." This woman was really pissing me off. She knew Nathan was here. She had to. She just wouldn't tell me. "He's my boyfriend."

"He's in surgery," she finally told me. "That's all I can say."

"What floor?"

"Third."

"Thank you," I said before turning to find Quinn and then running to the elevators. It took too damn long for the elevators to get there. I mean, there are four damn elevators! It really shouldn't take that long for one to get to the first floor. When I got inside I realized why they had taken so long. They were slow as hell. My anger was going through the roof at this point. When we got to the desk of course, they wouldn't give us any information. Apparently, I'm not his next of kin, so I have no right to know anything about him.

"His next of kin is in my fucking stomach! So why can't you just tell our daughter what's wrong!"

"Ma'am, you need to calm down. Getting worked up like this is not going to help you or your baby."

I was seriously about to go postal on this bitch when Quinn grabbed me and pulled me away. "Hales, there's nothing we can do. We just have to wait."

I finally let the tears flow at her words. It was true. And it was my fault. If I had just married him when he asked, I would know what was going on. I would know if he was alive. I would know where he'd been shot. I knew it had to be serious for him to be in surgery without needing consent, but then again since he apparently has no next of kin, I guess no one can consent for him. I didn't know what to do so I found the only thing had given me any information: the TV. There were two men. They had just been released from jail and were both put in jail by the same people… Nathan and Jake. The news reporters weren't sure whether the bank robbery was intentional or if it was just a means of getting to Nathan. I don't know why Jake is still out there. It can't be safe for him if they're looking for him.

I heard a familiar voice scream my name and I almost smiled. "They won't tell me anything," I cried.

"That's why I brought him," Brooke smiled as Clay ran past her to the nurse's station.

"I don't even know if he's alive."

"It's okay," she reassured me as she hugged me tight. "Clay will take care of everything."

**To be continued…**


	60. Chapter 60

**Sorry it's been so long. I hope y'all will stick with me. I'm trying my best to write, but life is a bit hectic right now. I haven't given up on any of my stories though.**

My heart nearly stopped when I saw Clay's face. His usual calmness was replaced with sheer terror. There was no denying that this was bad. "What is it?" Brooke asked. I was thankful she said something because by this time, I don't think I could even form words. The look Clay gave me was one of pure pity. I could read his mind. He was thinking, _Poor Haley. She's going to be all alone with her baby._

"It's bad," he said quietly. I couldn't tell whether he was being quiet to not alarm other people in the waiting room or if he was naïve enough to think that I wouldn't be upset if he said it low enough.

"Is he alive?" I asked. That was honestly all I wanted to know right now. It didn't matter if he was in bad condition, it mattered if he had a heartbeat. That meant he had a chance.

"The paramedic said that they lost him for a minute," he started, but my heart fell. I quit listening to whatever Clay was saying. If they only lost him for a minute, then he's obviously back. Otherwise they would have just lost him. I couldn't help but wonder if a minute truly was a minute or if a minute was really five or ten minutes. What if he had brain damage? What if he would never be able to hold our child? Could I handle that? I felt my arm being shaken and I returned to reality. "You need to stay calm, Hales. Let me and Brooke do all of the worrying for you. It's not healthy for the baby. I'll take care of Nathan and you take care of the baby."

I watched Clay disappear down the hallway to the OR and let myself fall back onto a chair. "We live in Tree Hill. There hasn't been a shooting in this town since Junior year. Nine years without a shooting. Seriously… what is the likelihood that Nathan would be involved in both?" I thought aloud.

"You know why he was involved in the first one…" I heard Brooke say from above me.

"Yeah. He was trying to be a hotshot and save the day. Honestly, if it wasn't so fucked up, I probably would have laughed."

"With a gun in the room?"

"Well, at first I didn't know there was a gun…"

_Flashback_

"_Let me in!" I heard a voice whisper on the other side of the door. Really? I thought to myself. Yeah right, there's a shooter loose in the school and I'm just going to let someone in the door to kill us all. What a joke. "It's me," the voice said._

"_Who is me?" I asked bravely. Well, at least I thought it was bravely. This could be a psycho I'm talking to._

"_Nathan…"_

"_Nathan Scott?" I whispered back._

"_What other Nathan is there?" Wow… way to be a cocky son-of-a-bitch. If he really wanted in, he shouldn't be such a douche. "Please Haley, let me in."_

_Haley? How did he know it was me? I wanted to ask, but before I could I found myself opening the door._

"_Don't open the door!" I heard Marcus say._

"_It's Nathan Scott," I told him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you honestly think he's out there with a gun? What does he have to be bitter about? If anything he's in danger! Remember Columbine? They killed all the jocks!"_

_Within seconds, Nathan's teammate Skills was swinging the door open quickly for his friend. "Get your lanky ass in here."_

"_Who are you calling lanky?" Nathan challenged as he held up a baseball bat._

"_What the hell, Nate? You fightin' bullets with a baseball bat? What are you going to do? Swing at 'em?" Skills joked and they both laughed._

"_There's nothing funny about this," I told them in my best tutor voice. "Someone has a gun in the school."_

"_I know, that's why I'm getting you out of here," Nathan said seemingly to me alone._

"_She's right," a familiar voice said and I turned to see who it was. "It's not funny. And you're not going anywhere," the boy added as he held up a gun._

"_Jimmy," I whispered as I recognized my former friend._

"_Shut up, Haley! Up against the wall! Everyone!" he shouted._

_Two hours later, nothing had changed…_

"_You should let someone go," Nathan said from out of the silence._

"_Yeah, why hot shot? Because you said so? That's how everything in this high school works, isn't it? Nathan Scott says it, and BAM!" He shouted the last part as he smashed his hand down on the desk and everyone in the room flinched except for Nathan._

"_It's a measure of good faith," he began, but he was quickly cut off._

"_A measure of good faith," Jimmy imitated. "Who knew Nathan Scott could speak so elegantly?"_

"_Let Haley go. I know you don't want to hurt her. She's never done anything to hurt you. You're friends. You don't want her to remember you like this."_

"_What is that supposed to mean? I don't want her to remember me like this?"_

"_You're not yourself. Let your friends remember you for who you are. Not this version of you."_

"_My friends? What friends? And you don't know who I am. How do you know this isn't how I always am? The only time you've ever paid attention to me is when you're kicking my ass!"_

"_This isn't you, Jimmy," I said, speaking for the first time in two hours._

"_You don't know me anymore, Haley."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Don't apologize, Haley," Nathan said as he stared down Jimmy. "People lose touch. People grow apart. It's life. It's no reason to kill anybody."_

"_That's not even the half of it. You don't get it. Nobody gets it. You don't know how much I hurt. You should know how much I hurt," Jimmy said as he pointed the gun at my head. I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for death to come when I felt a large body in front of me. I opened my eyes just to see a blue shirt and when I looked up I saw gorgeous raven hair._

"_We all hurt, just in different ways. Please, just let her go."_

"_Wow. I never thought I'd see the day. Nathan Scott pleading with me to have some compassion when he has never shown me any. Why her? Why not the cheerleader over there? Why not you?"_

"_Because I'm an ass. And Rachel's a bitch. We've all probably done something to deserve to be in here. But I doubt that she has."_

_Jimmy looked at me for a minute. It was hard for him to see me with Nathan guarding me, but I could tell that he was thinking about it. "Go," he said as he motioned to the door with the gun._

_I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave all of those people behind. I knew Jimmy. I was probably the only one who could talk him down, but that didn't matter. "GO!" he screamed when I didn't move._

"_Thank you," I whispered to Nathan before making my exit_

_End of Flashback_

"I had completely forgotten about that. Or at least I had done my best to block it out. I mainly just remember the gun being pointed at my head. Nathan put my life ahead of his that day. I can't believe I had forgotten about that. I never understood what he was doing in the hall with a baseball bat."

"He was looking for you. He told everyone that he was helping Jake look for Peyton, but I knew that was bullshit. Why would Peyton be in the tutor center? And why were you the first one released? Rachel told me all about it. Nathan never would have admitted to any of it himself. It would have forced him to admit his feelings for you. As if it wasn't obvious…"

"It wasn't to me," I sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long for me to figure it out. It would have made my life much easier to avoid the Damien drama. We would have been married by now. I would know what happened to him. They would tell me what's going on… why didn't I just marry him when he asked me?"

"Because you weren't ready! And Clay told you what happened. It doesn't matter now."

My phone rang before I could ask Brooke what all had happened. I looked down to see Jake's number and I quickly answered it. "Jake! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. How's Nathan?"

"Alive… for the moment."

"I'm on my way."

"Did you catch the guy?"

"You could say that…"

"What does that mean? And why do I hear sirens? You better not be speeding and talking to me on the phone. I can't lose you too."

"You're not going to lose me. The guy's dead. And I'm not driving. I'm in an ambulance… I'll see you soon, Hales. They're bitching at me to get off. Love you."


	61. Chapter 61

**Once again, I'm sorry for the delay in putting up a new chapter and sorry this is so short, but I wanted to at least give you the next little bit of the story.**

**Just to be clear. I don't think that Clay and Brooke should be a couple, nor should Quinn and Jake. I just pick random characters and put them together. I am a fan of Naley and I don't want people to like or dislike a story because I put a major couple like Brucas/Leyton/Jeyton/Brulian anything that someone hates and can't stand to read about, so yes, my couples are generally weird and impossible, but I like it that way and people can't get sidetracked or want more of another couple's story over Naley.**

While I was waiting for Jake to show up, Brooke and I watched the news. A second officer is down? How could that be? Jake said that he killed the shooter. Moments later I was greeted with an unexpected site that explained the news story.

"What the hell, Jake?" I screamed as I saw my best friend being rolled in on a stretcher.

"It's just a flesh wound," he told me as he was being rolled closer.

"You're being taken into surgery!" I shouted at him. I was in no mood for games. My boyfriend and the father of my baby was quite possibly on his death bed. And now my best friend is being taken into the same surgery wing.

"Just to get the bullet removed."

"He's on a few drugs," the EMT explained.

"You could have mentioned this on the phone."

"I could have, but then you would have worried. Seeing me let's you know I'm going to be okay. You already have enough to worry about," he said before being shuffled off.

"He's right," Brooke said. "He's an ass for not telling you and Quinn, but he's right. As long as it didn't hit an artery, Jake will be fine. And considering he was up and talking, he didn't hit an artery. Nathan is in a lot more danger with a chest wound. Especially with it being so close to his heart…"

A chest wound? Near his heart? How did I not hear that? How do I block out a chest wound? Oh right, it was when I heard he had died. My heart sank and just as it did I felt our baby kick. I felt powerless. Hell, I was powerless. All I could do was hope and pray that everything would be alright.

"Is your stomach supposed to move like that?"

"Yeah, she's just kicking…" I said without thinking about it.

"SHE?" Brooke screamed.

Great. Nathan was going to be pissed. One secret I'm supposed to keep and I ruin it. Not that everything didn't already seem ruined at the moment. I tried to quiet Brooke but it was too late, Quinn had already overheard everything.

"I already know. You called her your daughter earlier."

I looked at my sister's puffy eyes and realized that she was going through the same thing as me. Well, not the same thing. Supposedly Jake would be fine, but he was in surgery too. I pulled her in for a hug and I think she squeezed tighter than ever before. She pulled away laughing and it made life seem so light. I had no idea why she was laughing, but it reminded me of how happy we were together as kids. I just hoped that my baby would be in a happy home like we were with two loving parents.

"She just kicked me," Quinn giggled. "She's gonna be a feisty one."

* * *

It had been six hours since the story first hit the news. Five hours since Clay first went into the operating room. Three hours since Jake had gotten out of surgery. Fifty-eight minutes since Clay last came out. Fifty-nine. What I didn't understand was why Nathan was still in surgery if they weren't even able to remove the bullet.

"What are you thinking?" Jake asked as he opened his eyes to look at me.

"A million different things," I sighed tiredly as I laid my head on his bed. "I'm just confused about a lot of things right now. Who would ever want to hurt you two? You're the best people I know."

"A psycho out for revenge. Don't even worry about that. He's dead. He can't hurt anybody anymore."

"Hales," I heard from the doorway, turning to see Clay. It was good news. It had to be good news. I could tell from his face. "He's out of surgery," Clay smiled.

"Really?" I squealed as I ran and gave him a hug. "Where is he? I want to see him!"

"I figured as much. He's not awake yet though."

"What do you mean he's not awake?" I could feel my nerves returning.

"It's normal Hales. Jake didn't wake up immediately and he wasn't in surgery even half the amount of time Nathan was. As of right now, he's stabilized. And that's what really matters. They don't really want him to have visitors yet, but as soon as he's in his own room there's nothing to keep you from him."

"Not even psycho nurses who think they rule the world?"

"Not even Brooke," Clay joked.

"Hey! I don't even work here!" Brooke laughed, obviously not too offended by her husband's joke.

"Do you mind?" I asked Jake before getting up.

"Are you kidding me, Hales?" Jake smiled incredulously. "Get your fat ass in there!"

"I'm not fat, I'm pregnant, you jerk!" I couldn't help but smile as I left the room. I was finally going to see Nathan.


End file.
